


Hold On For Dear Love (Sequel to Sweet Serendipity H.S)

by GuitarAngel



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-01-02
Packaged: 2018-05-11 07:23:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 19
Words: 50,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5618542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuitarAngel/pseuds/GuitarAngel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to my other story Sweet Serendipity. I promise this is a lot better than the first one and it has so many twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end. Please comment so I know what you think. :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Harry POV

I can't sleep. Every time I close my eyes Emily's broken face flashes appears and the guilt rises up once again. I keep replaying everything that happened in my mind over and over again seeing what I should have done. If I had just listened to her instead of getting angry, then I'd still be with her. We'd be lying on the couch in each others arms without saying a single word. I'd be leaving little kissing her all over her face because I knew she loved it. Then I see the empty place beside me and everything falls apart again. I let out a deep sigh and shifted so I was facing the window on my side. There was only one person who could make me feel better, and she was on the other side of the ocean.

000

*Emily POV*

"Thank you for being such a great audience! Goodnight!"

I ran off the stage with the rest of the band, adrenaline still running through our veins. For short while everything was okay and I was just a teenager having fun doing what she loved. But then the memories and the pain all came flooding back to me, reminding me that I lived in this harsh reality where not every story has a fairy tale ending. I felt myself about to break, but I managed to hold it in until I was alone in my hotel room. My body moved automatically as I got ready for bed. Showered and changed, I climbed under the sheets and stared blankly at the window, wondering what was going on back in London. If he missed me at all...Like I missed him...

000

Harry POV

Hours of silence seemed to pass until there was a soft knock on my bedroom door before it opened. I peeked back to find all of the boys standing there. I turned back to facing the wall, not wanting to talk to either of them. I shut my phone off for a reason...To be left alone.

"Go away" I said.  
"No. You need to talk to someone...or get out of the house" Louis said.  
"I don't want to talk. I just want to be left alone"  
"Harry, we've left you alone for months! Its time you get up and do something about this!" Zayn argued.

I shot up in my bed and glared at them.  
"What!? What am I supposed to do!? Do you know how to turn back time!? Cause I sure as hell don't!"  
"Come with us to New York. Talk to Emily" Louis said.  
"There's no point. She's never going to forgive me"  
"Yes, she will. She loves you"  
"Well she shouldn't! She doesn't deserve to be treated like I treated her!! She deserves someone who will never hurt her in any way and who will keep their promises. Someone who isn't me"  
"Harry, that's not true! God dammit. Why do you two have to be so stubborn! She wants to forgive you, she just doesn't know it yet. You have to remind her of all those little things you do for her to make her happy and why she fell in love with you in the first place" Liam said.

I stared at him for a long moment taking in everything that he had just told me. Do I take that leap of faith and hope for the best? What if she said no? There was no way that I would be able to handle that rejection twice. Then again it would give me some closure on the whole situation. But how could I possibly apologize for this? I thought back to what Liam said and it just clicked. I jumped out of the bed, grabbed Liam's face, and planted a big wet kiss on his cheek.

"Liam. You're a genius" I said before running out of the room.

I ran downstairs, passing my mum on the way, and rushed to the computer desk to find paper and a pencil. Once I gathered it I started thinking of lyrics and wrote them down. The boys crowded around me to figure out what I was doing.

"What are you writing?" Louis asked.  
"A song for Emily. Liam, I need you to call Simon for me and tell him to meet us at my place in London. We're going to need his help"  
"Alright! We got our Harry back!" Louis exclaimed as he gave me a hug.

I ignored him, focusing only on what I was writing. An idea was ringing through my head that I would need the Uncle Si's help with. If I was going to pull this off, then it was going to be a lot of work....hopefully it'll all be worth it.

000

**Emily**

I sat on the couch eating my third bowl chocolate ice cream as I watched movies. It would probably make me gain a few pounds, but I didn't care. As long as it made me feel better, which it did. I rarely go out of the hotel room, but everyone keeps trying to convince me to go out with them. I gave in once and never again will I do the same. Last weekend they took me to an indoor mini golf place, but it didn't last very long because it brought back memories...

 

**flashback**

I stood with my arms crossed as Harry expertly putted the red ball, causing him to get yet another hole in one. He looked up at my annoyed face and grinned.

"I hate you" I told him, making him chuckle.  
"I love you, too" he sang before pecking my cheek.  
"I suck at this. Why did you bring me here?"  
"You don't suck. You just need a little practice. Come here, I'll let you in on a little secret of mine"

He pulled me over to the start and placed my purple ball at my feet. After leaning his putter against the wall he walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. I bit my lip as his hands moved up my waist to my shoulders, then down my arms before settling over my hands on the putter handle.

"Alright, you want to put your left hand above your right and hook your pinkies together like this"

He showed me his, then helped me place mine correctly. I smiled.

"This is the only reason you brought me here isn't it" I said.  
"Well, it's not the only reason, but its definitely the main one" he replied with a cheeky smile. "Now, you want to keep your hips nice and loose when you swing"  
"Oh, like this?"

I shook my hips slightly, purposefully pressing my bum against the front of his pants. I felt his body tense before a soft moan escape his lips.

"Careful, you don't want to tempt me while there are children around" His husky voice whispered into my ear.

I looked up to make sure the family with three kids that were in the building with us didn't see anything. Thankfully they were around the corner at a hole further up.

"Now, as I was saying before you distracted me; when you do the back swing take a deep breath, then as you swing let it out slowly. It'll help you follow through smoothly. Here, lets take a practice swing so you know what I mean. Take a deep breath"

As we did this he moved the putter back so it was now at an angle.

"Now slowly let it out"

I did as he told me and we slowly swung the putter. I took note of how smooth the swing was and looked back at Harry.

"Ok, I think I got it"  
"Alright"

He moved back while I took a step forwards to my ball. I lined the putter with the ball, then took a deep breath as I brought the putter back a few inches before finally letting it out and taking a swing. The purple ball rolled down the lane before falling into the hole at the end.

"I did it!! I did it!!"

I turned and threw my arms around Harry's neck before pressing my lips to his. He smiled into the kiss.

"And there's the other reason I brought you" he said.  
"Harry, you can kiss me anytime you want. You don't need a game for that"  
"Thank god for that"

He leaned in to kiss me again, but I slipped out of his arms leaving him standing there alone. He pouted and I grinned.

"Now that I know the secret of mini golf let's throw out a little wager. If you win I'll give you a kiss. If I win you take me to get ice cream"  
"Deal"

*END FLASHBACK*

I ended up winning the game, but gave him a kiss anyway. Thinking about that made me realize how much I missed him. I missed the feeling of his hand in mine, his soft lips pressed against my own, and the way his hair felt as I ran my fingers through it. Tears started to form in my eyes for the hundredth time since morning and I just curled into a ball and let them stream down my face. I would never be okay...Not without him...

000

*Two weeks later*

Harry POV

I stood backstage watching her perform from a monitor. She looked absolutely amazing. The way she dressed. The way she sang. How she danced. Everything about her was perfect, and it brought on a whole lot of nerves.

My palms became sweaty as I fidgeted nervously where I stood. I don't think I have ever been this nervous in my entire life. The X-Factor, our first live performance, and our first interviews were nothing compared to this. What if she didn't take me back? What if I lost her forever?

"Harry?"

I turned around to see Liam standing there looking at me. He put his hand on my shoulder.

"You alright mate?"  
"...Maybe this was a bad idea" I said quietly.  
"Why do you think that?"  
"What if she doesn't forgive me? Look at her, Liam. She looks so happy, and I'm about to go out there and bring all this pain back to her. Maybe she is better off without me..."

I felt his hand connect with the back of my head causing me to let out a yelp.

"Ow! What was that for!?"  
"For being an idiot! Do you not see that she's faking? You of all people should be able to notice that! She loves you and she wants you back. Look at her, Harry. Really look"

I looked back at the screen and found that he was right. She may have a smile on her face, but it was definitely forced. She danced, but I could tell she wasn't into it.  
Seeing her like that made me feel even worse, yet at the same time it gave me a glimmer of hope. I turned back to Liam and nodded.

"Everything ready?"  
"Yes. We go on when she's done with this next song. You should go get ready"

I took a deep breath and nodded.  
"Let's do this"

000

As we waited for everything to get set up I walked over to the side stage to watch Emily as she announced her next song.

"Thank you all so much! Are you having a good time!?" She asked the audience.  
They screamed in response which caused her to smile.

"Good. Now this next song is one that isn't on the album, because I just wrote it. I feel like I need to share it with all of you because it's not like my other songs. It talks about the pain of losing someone you love, and you pretend that everything is okay...but it's not. I hope you like it"

I watched as she walked over to a piano and sat down to play it. She took a deep breath and began to play.

"I've been staring at the ceiling  
Watching the fans flow around, round and round  
'Cause I can't hear my breathing  
The words we said are still so loud, loud, loud

And we been drifting off so far  
And I don't even know where we are  
Before we jump, before we leave  
And all is lost for you and me, yeah

If we're not stupid  
We'll both hold on for dear love  
Find our way through this  
It's not worth just giving up  
'Cause I've got some fire left in me  
And I don't see us ending this way  
If we're not stupid  
We'll both hold on for dear love, love"

I listened to her sing with so much emotion behind her voice that it broke my heart just by listening to her. Then I focused on the words and really felt how much pain she was going through. I began to second guess my decision about coming here. Was I really about to go out there and hurt her even more?

Her voice started to crack slightly as she belted the words. My chest tightened as I felt my own tears coming on. I shook my head and walked away from the stage.

"Harry? Where are you going?" Niall asked.  
"I can't do this. I can't hurt her again"

I ran down the hallway towards the exit. The moment my hands hit the door I stopped. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I knew that no matter what I chose, I could still get hurt and the thought terrified me. I won't be able to handle losing Emily again...but going on without her is worse. I let out a yell of frustration and hit the door before sitting down against it. Why does this have to be so damn hard?

 

*Emily POV*

The second after the last note of the song ended I just broke down. Thankfully the lights director expected this to happen and was ready to shut off the spotlights when I finished. That gave me just enough time to quickly compose myself enough to say my thanks to the crowd before rushing off the stage to where Sara was waiting for me with open arms. I ran into them and let it all out.

"I miss him so much" I sobbed.  
"I know, sweetie. I know"


	2. CH 2

*Harry POV*

I ended up leaving the arena to walk around the city so I could clear my head. My mind was spinning trying to make a good decision that wouldn't make me seem selfish. If I run away and leave her alone then she would eventually get over me and I would have to move on with my life as well. Or I could jump back into her life I and possibly ruin all progress she's made towards moving on, which would be good for her in the future. But there is that chance...that one in a million chance that she somehow forgives me for everything and we go on with our lives...together.

After hours of walking I decided to go back to the hotel and sleep on it. When I arrived at my room all of the boys and Emily's band mates were waiting for me.

"What the hell, Harry!? You spend two weeks planning this huge thing and then you just run away at the last minute!?" Louis yelled. "Don't you love her at all!?"  
"Of course I do! I love her more than anything!"  
"Then what are you afraid of?" Liam asked.  
"I'm afraid that she doesn't want me back..." I said quietly, my eyes landing on the floor.

Someone stood up and walked over to put their hands on my shoulders. I looked up to see Gabby standing there.

"Harry, I want you to listen to what I'm about to say because its going to help you. Alright?"

I nodded and she continued on.

"After you ran off, Emily ended the song in tears"  
"Gabby, I don't want to hear this" I interrupted.

I tried to leave, but she pushed me back into place.

"No, just listen. When she got off the stage she ran into Sara's arms and do you know what she said? She said, "I miss him so much". Harry, that girl has been just as miserable without you as you've been without her. She still loves you, and if you go through with this like we planned then I promise you that she'll forgive you. Now, there's another concert tomorrow night, but this is your last chance. Are you up for it?"

I stood there for a long time and thought about everything she told me. My mind is saying no, but my heart is saying go for it. Screw logic. I need Emily in my life.

"Alright. I'm gonna go for it"

000

Emily POV

*FLASHBACK

We laid on the bed, wrapped up in each other's arms, limbs tangled together. It must have been at least one in the morning, but neither of us were tired. My fingers began drawing circles on his bare chest, tracing over his tattoos that were etched into his skin. A few seconds passed before his chest began to shake as he attempted to fight back his laughter. A smile formed across my lips and I continued doing it until I finally found the spot that made him lose it. His melodic laughter rang throughout the room, which in turn made me laugh as well.

"You have the cutest laugh" I told him.  
"Cute? My laugh is not cute. It's manly!"

He let out a deep, weird sounding laugh that sent me into a laughing fit because of how ridiculous it sounded.

"You're such an idiot"  
"That may be true, but I'm you're idiot"

I smiled and kissed him.  
"That you are. Now we better get to sleep I have to record tomorrow" 

I turned around so I was facing away from him and he wrapped his arms tightly around me so I was pressed back against his chest.

"Can't you call in sick?"  
"I can't just...Actually, that is a good idea. I'm going to be too damn tired tomorrow anyways no thanks to you"  
"How is it my fault?"  
"You distract me"  
"Oh? You mean like this?"

He poked his finger into my side and I let out a squeak, which he thought was pretty funny because he laughed when the noise came out of my mouth. So much for sleeping.

000

I woke up still feeling his arms around me even though I knew that he wasn't there. It was the same exact thing that has been happening to me the past few months. I'd dream about my time with Harry and wake up crying. I'm surprised I have any left. 

"Em?" Sara's voice called from behind the door.  
"Come in"  
"We leave for the venue in an hour"  
"Alright. I'll be ready"

She nodded and turned to leave, but paused.  
"If you ever want to talk, I'm here"  
"I know. Thank you, but I'll be fine"

She didn't look convinced, but decided to leave it alone. I got up and got ready for the concert.

000

"Wow. You guys are even crazier than last night! I see a few familiar faces as well. Yes, I'm talking to you three girls up front"

They screamed and waved at me making me laugh.

"Alright, I'm dedicating this next song to all you best friends out there. This is-"  
"Hold up, Em!" Gabby said as she appeared beside me. "We have a little surprise for you tonight"

I blinked, a confused expression on my face.  
"What are you talking about?"  
"You're about to find out"

She grinned at me then turned me towards the big jumbotron behind me. The lights dimmed and I watched as the screen fade into a video of the boys with Harry in the middle. My heart lurched at the sight of him and I felt tears coming on. I wanted to run off so I wouldn't break down, but Gabby held me in place. Niall started playing his guitar and a moment later Harry began to sing.

000

"Don't try to make me stay  
Or ask if I'm okay  
I don't have the answer  
Don't make me stay the night  
Or ask if I'm alright  
I don't have the answer

Heartache doesn't last forever  
I'll say I'm fine  
Midnight isn't time for laughing  
When you say goodbye"

The video switched to pictures of Harry and I. One was of me sitting on Harry's lap, both of us asleep, on the first week of the tour. Another was from Niall's birthday party when we took each other's cake and shoved it in the other's face. I smiled at the memory. The next one made me laugh. Harry and I were bored and decided to have a laughing contest to see which one of us would laugh first. We both pulled the weirdest faces we could and Louis snapped a picture before we burst out laughing.

 

“It makes your lips so kissable  
And your kiss unmissable  
Your fingertips so touchable  
And your eyes irresistible”

 

I watched the pictures and short clips of us with tears in my eyes. I wanted to hate him, to forget about him and move on, but I couldn't. This video just showed me that I was still madly in love with him.

 

“I've tried to ask myself  
Should I see someone else?  
I wish I knew the answer.

But I know, if I go now, if I leave  
Then I'm on my own tonight  
I'll never know the answer.

Midnight doesn't last forever  
Dark turns to light  
Heartache flips my world around  
I'm falling down, down, down,  
That's why.

I find your lips so kissable  
And your kiss unmissable  
Your fingertips so touchable  
And your eyes irresistible

Irresistible. Irresistible. Irresistible. Irresistible"

 

Gabby pointed to the top of the stairs where the lift was located and my eyes widened when they landed on his curly brown hair. Harry stood in the middle of the boys as they rose up onto the stage. He looked just as handsome as ever wearing his jean and a black button up shirt. He stepped forward as he sang and boys followed him as they harmonized. By the time Harry got to me I was in tears. He took my hand in his and stared into my eyes as he sang to me.

 

"Its in your lips  
And in your kiss  
Its in your touch  
And your fingertips  
And its in all the things and other things that make you who you are  
And your eyes  
Irresistable"

 

They cut off the song and we just stood there staring at each other. A hush fell upon the crowd as they waited for him to speak.

"Em, I know I said some horrible things to you, but I didn't mean any of it. I was just mad and hurt. There are so many things I should have done to avoid this, but I just froze. Seeing you look so....It killed me knowing I was the cause of it and I pray to god that I'll never see you like that again. I want to see you happy. I want you to always have a smile on your face and not have to worry about getting hurt. I want you to feel loved and safe. I'm so sorry, Em. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, and if you decide to move on then I'll gladly let you go"

"...but if you take me back I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I'll keep my promise that I made to you that night on the beach. I'll make you laugh and smile and feel like the princess you deserve to be treated as. I don't regret going to that Halloween party. It was the best damn thing I ever did, and without it I wouldn't have met the most amazing girl in the world who loves me for me, not as a celebrity. The girl I can't live without, and makes me feel like I can do anything as long as she's there by my side. I love you...more than anything in the entire world, and I always will. Can you forgive me?"

I stared into his eyes for a long time, letting myself think it over. I looked around to find everyone waiting anxiously for my answer. The boys stood on the sides of the stage with similar expressions. My gaze then fell upon the worried face of the boy who captured my heart that Halloween night in Starbucks.

"You make a video and set this whole thing up so you can apologize to me in front thousands of people? Possibly setting yourself up for the most embarrassing rejection that will be worldwide in a matter of seconds?"

I kept my voice serious as if I was going to say no to him. His face dropped a little and he nodded slowly.

"You're an idiot..."

Everyone stared at me in shock and Harry's face dropped even more. After a few seconds I couldn't hold it in anymore and my face broke out into a smile.

"...but you're my idiot"

Harry's face lit up and he immediately pulled me into passionate kiss. The whole stadium erupted in cheers, but all I heard was a dull roar. My focus was on Harry. His hungry lips moving against mine in perfect sync. My hands became tangled in his soft curls while his were wrapped tightly around my waist, pulling our bodies together as close as humanly possible. All worries were forgotten and replaced with butterflies in my stomach and tingles running down my spine. 

The feeling never stopped when we pulled away and embraced each other in a hug. For the first time in months I felt whole again. We pulled away and smiled at each other, tears in our eyes.

“I’m still mad at you”  
"I love you, too"

He leaned forward and gave me a sweet kiss on the lips.  
"Alright you two lovebirds. I hate to break this up, but we have a concert to finish" Aaron said.

I wiped my eyes and let out a little laugh when I saw mascara on my hands.

"Look at me. I'm a mess"  
"No, you're beautiful" Harry said.

The crowd 'awed' which made us smile.  
"Well, I better let you finish your show"  
"Wait. Since you're already here, how about we do our last song together?”  
“Alright. Come on out boys” Harry called.

The crowd went absolutely nuts as the rest of the boys walked out onto the stage. I gave them each a hug before grabbing my guitar and placing the strap over my shoulder. I grinned at the boys, then started playing the riff for What Makes You Beautiful with my own little rock twist. The rest of the band caught on and joined in. The boys laughed and started jamming out. I looked at Liam to sing the first part, but he nodded for me to take his place. I smiled and turned to the mic.

“You’re insecure  
Don’t know what for..."


	3. CH 3

*Harry POV*

After the concert I refused to let her go. I sat beside her on the couch in her dressing room, my arms firmly locked around her waist, as she chatted with the boys about what they’ve been up to. I tried to listen to their conversation, but my mind had other ideas. All I could think about was Emily and how much I missed her the past few months. How truly lucky I am that she took me back, when a normal girl probably wouldn’t have.

I found myself thinking about the future, and what I was going to do in order to make it up to her. So many ideas were running through my head and I planned on using every single one of them. I was more determined than ever to make it up to her, but I only had a short amount of time to do it. A week was all I got with her before I had to go back to London for album recording and interviews. It was going to be tough being away from her right after I got her back, but she had a career, too, so I would have to suck it up and let her follow her dreams while I continued with mine.

Emily tried to move out of my arms so I tightened my grip on her. It felt like the second I let her go she would disappear again and I refused to let that happen. Words couldn’t even describe how terrified I am of losing her now that all of this had happened. I wouldn’t be able to take it with my heart currently so vulnerable. She looked at me with a worried expression on her face.

“Harry, you okay?” She asked.  
Everyone was gone now, leaving the two of us alone in her dressing room.

“Yeah” I lied.  
“You’re lying, but I’ll let it go for now”  
“Thank you”

A smile made it’s way onto my face. I loved that she never pushed me into explaining my thoughts to her, even though we both know that I’ll tell her eventually. I placed a soft kiss on her cheek, letting my lips linger on her skin for a bit longer than usual.

“I never want to lose you again” I muttered.  
“You won’t, as long as you promise me one thing”

I pulled back so I could look into her eyes.  
“Anything”  
“Promise me that you will listen to me first when I try to explain something to you, and not jump to conclusions right away”  
“I promise. I won’t make the same mistake twice. Not when I have so much to lose”

Emily smiled, then pressed her long enough for me to relax my arms before she stood up. I pouted and she giggled.

“Come on. Let’s go back to the hotel. I need to shower”  
“Can I join you?” I asked with a cheeky grin.  
“Only if you give me a piggyback ride to the car.”  
“Well what are we waiting for?! Let’s go!”

I jumped up and pulled her onto my back before running out of the room. She burst out laughing and held onto me for dear life. 

Everything was finally back to normal.

000

*Emily POV*

I never realized how much I actually missed Harry until he came back into my life. The night after the concert was spent just lying on the bed in each other’s arms, leaving occasional kisses on each other. It wouldn’t be any more perfect...Except for one thing....My dad.

Let’s just say he wasn’t too happy about me getting back together with Harry. After we broke up I went home for a couple days before the tour started so he knew everything that happened. It took a lot of convincing to get him to stay home and not murder Harry in his sleep. You could just imagine what he was like when he was watching E! News and discovered that the two of us were together again. I spent a good two hours arguing with him over the phone until I finally just hung up on him and shut my phone off. That was yesterday and I still haven’t turned it back on yet. I’m sure he’s super pissed off at me because of that. At least I had Harry there to help me through it. Speaking of the curly haired boy. Where is he?

I looked around the venue I was performing at in Detroit, Michigan, but I couldn’t find him anywhere. Sara found me before I could search anymore and told me to go to the stage right away for the sound check.

“Alright, but if you see Harry could you tell him to come find me?”  
“Sure”  
“Thanks”

I walked over to the stage to find some fans waiting for the sound check to start. I smiled at them.  
“Hey, guys” I greeted.  
“Hi!” They chorused.  
“How are you all doing today. Oh, hey. I love that shirt. Did you make that?” I asked one girl who had a personalized Hemily t-shirt on. It had a cute picture of Harry and I hugging each other and smiling on it.

“Yeah. I did”  
“It’s awesome. Very cute”  
“Thanks!”

She smiled and her friend next to her squealed happily. I smiled at them. They reminded me of Gabby and I when we went to our first concert and got noticed by the lead singer. Now that was a great night.

“We’re going to play a few songs and then we’ll do some questions alright?”

They nodded and I went to get my guitar ready. Once I finally set up we started playing a couple of the songs. Halfway through the second one I had to pause because the fans started screaming and freaking out. I looked at them confused until my vision suddenly turned black due to someone putting their hands over my eyes.

“Guess who?” A husky voice whispered into my ear.  
“Mick Jagger?”

Everyone laughed, but Harry let out a shocked gasp.  
“Well fine. I guess Mick Jagger can just buy you flowers then”

I turned around and saw him holding up a bouquet of my favorite flowers. I smiled at him.  
“Mick Jagger ain’t got moves like Styles”

Harry grinned and kissed my cheek.  
“I’ll put these to the side until you’re done then”

I watched as he walked to the side of the stage and sat himself down on top of one of the speakers. He waved at the fans before turning to me with a cheeky grin on his face. I rolled my eyes at him before going back to the sound check.

000

“Alright, let’s start the questions.”

Sara went around with a microphone and picked random people to ask questions. The first was a guy with blonde hair and green eyes.

“My question is: If you could be any superhero, who would you be and why?”  
“Batman! Definitely, Batman. He’s just so badass and awesome. Plus he doesn’t need superpowers to be badass”

He laughed and agreed with me. The next girl looked to be around six years old and looked to have come with her older sister. I smiled at how cute she looked with her brown hair pulled into pigtails.

“Um...C-Can I get a hug and a kiss from Harry?”

I laughed and looked over at Harry who was grinning.  
“Well, I don’t care. What do you say Harry?”  
“Sure!”

Harry hopped off the stage and walked over to the six year old. I smiled as he knelt down to her level and gave her a big hug with a kiss on the cheek. He said something to her that made her giggle, then went back to the stage.

“Aww. How cute was that?” I cooed making Harry blush. “Looks like I have a little competition. I’ll have to kick up my game”

The fans laughed at that one even though it kind of was a horrible joke. Sara went to the next person.  
“Okay, this is going to be the last question”

I grabbed my water bottle and took a drink as Sara picked the next person. I nearly choked on it the moment I heard his voice.

“Yes, I have a question, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to ask this in public”

I glanced over at Harry who had a look of fear in his eyes. He was scared to look, too. I gulped then turned around to find myself face to face with my father.

“Daddy! H-Hey. What are you doing here?” I asked nervously.  
“You know damn well what I’m doing here. We need to talk. Now. You too, Curly”

He walked off backstage and I turned back to the fans who were looking at us anxiously awaiting what we were going to say next.  
“Um...Excuse us”

I hurried off the stage, grabbing a reluctant Harry as I did so, and we made our way to the dressing room where my angry father was waiting. As we neared the door I gripped his arm tighter. We paused when we finally stood outside of the wooden barrier that separated us from the fuming man who awaited us inside. Harry moved my hand from his arm so he could place it into his own. He gave it a quick squeeze then placed a kiss on my temple.

“I’ll be right here with you” he whispered. “No matter what. I love you”  
“I love you, too”

We turned back to the door. I took a deep breath before turning the handle and pushing it open. My father turned around to face us, with a hard look in his face that he only wore when he was really angry. I almost turned around and ran, but Harry squeezed my hand even more to remind me that he was by my side.

“Sit” My dad ordered.

We obeyed and took a seat on the couch in front of him. He was quiet for a while, which is never a good sign when it comes to my father. Every time I stayed out past curfew or he asked where I was he would make me sit in silence until I finally just gave in and told him the truth. Except this time I haven’t been out past curfew or lied to him about where I was last night. I forgave the love of my life and finally felt whole again. This wasn’t something that was bad. It was a great thing, and I wasn’t about to let him push me around because of it. The more time he waited the more furious I got.

“I don’t want you to be with him anymore” he said finally.

I felt Harry tense beside me.  
“Sir, I-”  
“No. I’ve made my decision. You’re not aloud to see my daughter anymore”

Harry looked at me, but I kept my eyes on my father, watching him as anger boiled up within me. Who does he think he is? He may be my father, but he can’t tell me who I can and can’t love. Harry stood so he could look him in the eyes as he spoke.

“Sir, with all due respect. I’m going to have to go against your wishes.” Harry said bravely.  
“Listen here, boy. If you think I’m just going to let you come back into my daughter’s life again after you broke her heart, then you’re sorely mistaken”  
“I love your daughter, and I would never do anything to hurt her ever again. I won’t make the same mistake twice”  
“No, you won’t, because you won’t be here!”

The two of them started arguing and I didn’t know what to do. My father was getting furious with Harry for not giving up, and the yelling brought on a massive headache on my part. I leaned forwards with my head in my hands in attempt to drown out their voices, but nothing worked. A few seconds passed before I finally had enough. I was about to stand up and scream at them to stop, but someone else got there first.

“Enough!”

We all turned to the doorway to find Sara looking at us.  
“Emily, Harry. Step outside please” she said to Harry and I.

Harry turned to me and helped me to my feet. Sara handed me a bottle of Ibuprofen for my head as we walked out into the hallway. I swallowed one and then slid down onto the floor with my back against the wall. Harry sat beside me.  
“Headache?” Harry asked me.

I nodded and he put his arms around me. He placed a soft kiss on my temple.  
“I’m sorry” he said.  
“It’s okay. My dad is just being ridiculous”

We went silent after that and listened for what Sara was going to say next.

000

*No One POV*

“Mr. Brighten, I’m going to have to ask you to leave” Sara said firmly.  
“I’m not leaving unless he goes, too”  
“I’m afraid you have no choice. You either leave now or I’ll have security escort you out. In case you haven’t noticed, this scene you’ve just caused has an effect on your daughter. As a parent you want her to be happy, yes?”  
“Well, yeah. Of course I do, but-”  
“But nothing. I’ve only known Emily for a short time, but it doesn’t take long to see that those two love each other. She’s happy with him, which in turn should make you happy. You acting like this is only going to push her further away”  
“And how the hell would you know?! You don’t know me or my daughter!”  
“No, but I know what it’s like to be a daughter with an overprotective father. He made a big deal out of nothing, just like you are now, and it drove us apart. I don’t want that to happen with you and Emily. You’re her father and she needs you just as much as she needs Harry.”

There was a long silence throughout the room. After a few moments of thinking Jack Brighten let out a deep sigh.

“I guess you’re right...”  
“I know. I’ll send Emily back in”

Sara turned to open the door, but Jack stopped her.  
“Wait, um...thank you, Miss..”  
“Filmore. Sara Filmore”

Jack nodded and Sara went out to send Emily in. The young girl cautiously made her way into the room, but made sure to stay close to the door just in case. Jack felt horrible now that he had calmed down. He saw the fear in his daughter’s eyes and the hurt. He waited a few minutes before deciding to speak.

"Do you believe that he won't break your heart again?" He asked her.  
"Yes"  
"Okay...but I swear to God if he does it again I'm going to kill him"

Jack's heart lifted as a smile made it's way across her face. She ran forwards and threw her arms around him. He immediately returned the gesture, enjoying the feeling of having his daughter in his arms once again.

"I love you, Daddy, but please be nice to Harry"  
"Alright. Alright. I have to admit, the kid had guts to stand up to me"  
"He's a lot like you, you know"  
"Ya, ya."

Jack turned his attention to Harry who was watching from the doorway.  
"Come here" he said.  
Harry glanced at Emily for the okay, which she gave, before advancing towards the ex-marine.  
"You had guts standing up to me, kid. A normal person would have gone running"  
"A normal person doesn't love your daughter as much as I do"

Jack smiled and put his hand on Harry's shoulder.  
"That's true, but if you ever hurt her again, I'll kill you"  
"Trust me, Sir. If that happens I'll buy the gun"  
"Good"

Emily smiled at them. She was glad that they were so quick to forgive each other instead of holding a grudge. They may not know it, but they're similar in more ways than one. Both would do anything to protect their loved ones. They have goofy sides, but can be serious when they need to be. They were basically the same person.

"Hey, who was that woman who came in here?" Jack asked, snapping Emily out of her thoughts.  
"Sara, my tour manager"  
"Tour manager, huh? A woman of authority."  
"She's really nice. I think you'd like her. Maybe I could set you two up on a date"  
Emily wiggled her eyebrows at her father and Harry held back a laugh.  
"No. Absolutely not. I haven't been on a date in years"  
"Come on, Mr. Brighten." Harry said. "I bet you still got a few tricks up your sleeve"  
"No"

Emily sighed.  
"Alright, fine. How long are you going to stay?"  
"I don't know. I didn't really plan on anything"  
"Why don't you finish off the tour with me? It's only two more months. Plus Harry will be leaving in a few days anyway, so you and I can spend some time together. You'll be seeing more of Sara"

Emily gave him the best puppy dog face she could, and both Harry and her father let out a frustrated groan.  
"Not the face!" They said.  
"Pweese?"  
Jack sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.  
"Fine"  
Emily smiled and gave him a hug.  
"Awesome. Now you two need to leave so I can get ready for the concert” Emily said as she pushed the two of them out of the room.  
“Okay okay. We’re going” Jack said.  
“I’ll let Sara know that they can come in and help you get ready” Harry said.  
“Thanks”

Emily gave him a quick kiss before shutting the door in his face. Jack raised his eyebrows at Harry who just shrugged.

“She does it to you, too, huh?  
“Yep”  
“Good”


	4. CH 4

*Emily POV*

“Harry, we have to get going or you’ll miss your flight”  
“No, I don’t want to leave!”  
“Harry Edward Styles! Let go of the damn chair!”

Yes, the nineteen year old was actually clinging to the weighed down seats in the airport while I tried to pull him away. I rolled my eyes and gave up, finding it ridiculous that he was acting like such a child but at the same time it was pretty adorable.

“Fine, but don’t blame me when Paul calls you all pissed off asking why you weren’t on the plane”  
“Do you really want to get rid of me that bad?”

I sighed and sat next to him, wrapping my arms around his neck.  
“Of course not, but we don’t have much of a choice. You have to work on the new album and I have to finish the tour. We’ll be seeing each other in a couple months at the VMAs though”

Two days ago Sara told me that I was nominated for two awards. Best New Artist and Best Female Artist. You wouldn’t believe how loud I screamed. I was also excited to discover that One Direction got nominated for Best New Artist, Breakout Artist, and Best Group. I was extremely happy for them. After they won the Brit Award last year I wouldn’t be surprised if they also won a couple VMAs.

“That’s too long though. I’ll miss you too much”   
He wrapped his arms around my waist tightly and buried his face into my neck. I hugged him back, not wanting to let him go either. I always hated this. Having to separate for months. It sucks but we both have careers to follow and we’ve proved that we’re strong enough to handle it.

“Flight 2018 to London now boarding”

“Harry, you have to go”  
“No”

He tightened his grip on me, refusing to let go. I got up, pulling him with me, and walked him over to the gate. I turned around so I could look at him. I brushed the hair out of his green eyes that were watching me intently, completely lost in thought.

“What are you thinking?” I asked him.  
“I don’t know...I’m just scared...”  
“Scared of what? Flying? You do it all the time”  
“No, I’m not scared of flying....I..I’m scared that something will happen and I’ll lose you again”  
His voice shook slightly as he spoke. I cupped his face in my hands and smiled at him.

“Harry, you won’t lose me. I think we’ve proven that we can get through pretty much anything. No matter what happens, I will talk to you first and listen to what you have to say. I won’t believe the media or what anyone else says as long as you do the same”  
“I won’t...I love you, Emily”  
“I love you, too, Harry”

I pressed my lips to his, not caring about who was watching, then pulled him into a hug. He pulled me closer to him and buried his face in my hair. When I attempted to pull away he just tightened his grip even more, not allowing me to leave his embrace.

“Last call for Flight 2018”

Harry let out a deep sigh and reluctantly let me go. He kissed me one last time before picking up his bag and walking away. He paused at the doorway, giving me a small wave. I smiled and repeated the action, blowing a kiss at the end. He gave me that heart stopping lopsided smile of his then disappeared down the walkway. I stayed to watch him take off before going back to the parking lot where my dad was waiting in the car.

"How did it go?" He asked.  
"He really didn't want to go. I had to peel him away from the chair"

Dad chuckled, shaking his head at the image that appeared in his head.  
"You sure picked a keeper, kiddo"  
"Oh shut up"

I playfully hit him in the shoulder and he laughed.  
"Hey! Don't hit the driver!"  
"You're not the driver. Ginger is"

Ginger, AKA: Leo, is one of my bodyguards. He's not as buff as Paul, but pretty close. He's got short red hair, hence the nickname, Ginger. When I first called him that I thought he was going to get mad, but he just laughed and it kinda stuck with him.

"Ginger will make you walk if you don't stop arguing" He said.  
"Ginger needs to stop referring to himself in third person" I teased.

He gave me a playful glare then turned up the radio. I let out a scream the second I realized that it was one of my songs playing. Dad and Ginger laughed then started singing along loudly. I burst out laughing and took out my phone to record them as they sang and danced to it, then posted the video on Twitter. I immediately got replies saying how funny it was.

“What are you laughing at?” Dad asked.  
“Nothing...Don’t worry about it”  
“See, I worry about it more when you say that. You only say it when you’re up to no good. Give me your phone”  
“No. It’s mine”  
“Emily”  
“Daddy”  
“I’ll get it eventually. You have to put it down some time”  
“Not if I give it to Sara”

He glared at me and I knew I had him there. I also knew that he was developing a little crush on the tour manager, which I thought was adorable. Sara is amazing and the two of them would look cute together. Now the only problem was that Dad was scared to ask her out. That is where Ginger and I come in. He and I have a little scheme going on to get them together within the next two months and it is going to be great. They didn’t know what was coming for them.

000

*Harry POV*

I met the boys at the studio after I landed and they all immediately pounced on me in a group hug.  
“Harry! I missed you!!” Louis cried.  
“I missed you, too, Boo Bear” I laughed.  
“So, how was your week with Emily? Did you have makeup sex? Was it good?”  
“Well, to answer your first question, it was great. As for the others, that’s something for me to know and for you to never find out”  
“Oh, come on! We’re your best mates!”  
“I’m still not going to tell you”

Louis huffed and plopped down on the couch with his arms crossed. I rolled my eyes. He would get over it in about three minutes.

“I heard Em’s dad showed up the day after we left. How did that go?” Liam asked.  
“Well....He wanted to kill me at first, but then everything turned out alright. Oh, that reminds me. You guys have got to see the two of them play guitar together. It was amazing. Absolutely incredible”  
“Really? I didn’t peg him for a guitar player” Niall commented.  
“He is, and he’s damn good”

The door opened and Paul walked in with coffee. He paused when he saw me.  
“Harry. It’s about time you showed up. We’ve been waiting for you”

I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly.  
“Sorry...”  
“It’s alright. Emily already warned me that you were being a little more stubborn than usual today” he said with a smirk.  
“She told you about what happened at the airport didn’t she”  
“Yep”

I smiled and shook my head.  
“She’s trying to kill me” I muttered.

Paul laughed at my comment, then ruffled my hair. I glared at him and put it back to its original position.  
“Alright, let’s get back to work”

000

*Two Months Later* 

“Yes, Mum. Emily and I are back together....I’m sure she’d love it if you called her, but let me tell her first before you do....So she doesn’t feel awkward.....Yes....Yes....Love you, too”

I was relieved when she finally hung up the phone. I love my mum, I really do, but not when she decides to call me up at six in the morning to have a two hour conversation with me on the day we have a morning radio interview at ten. It didn’t help that I barely slept the night before because I was up talking to Emily on Skype. The time difference really sucks, but it’s definitely worth it.

I laid in bed for a while before finally deciding to get up. I made myself some coffee, then plopped myself down on the couch and watched some tv. To my surprise, Emily’s face popped up on the screen the moment I turned it on. She was doing an interview with an American news station and they were talking about me.

“So, Harry was being a little stubborn at the airport a few days ago, huh?”

Emily laughed and nodded.  
“Yeah. I don’t want to embarrass him though, so that’s all I’m going to say”  
“That’s okay. You can leave that to us. We found this picture. Take a look”

She turned to the screen and a picture of her trying to pull me away from the chair that I was clinging to popped up on the screen. She laughed and I couldn’t help but do the same. I looked pretty ridiculous to be honest, but I was glad that she didn’t want to embarrass me.

“Does he do that every time you separate?”  
“Sometimes. I think it kinda switches between us” She said with a laugh. “Of course, I never do anything to that extent”

I chuckled at her comment, then rolled my eyes. She’s such a little tease. A knock at the door interrupted me from finishing the interview. I shut the tv off before walking over to answer it, finding Zayn standing there.

“Hey, Zayn” I greeted.  
“Hey. You ready to go?”  
“Yeah. Just let me grab my phone”

I jogged back into the living room to grab the device from the couch I was sitting on just moments before, then walked out the door with Zayn.

000

“We have five very special guests joining us today. It’s One Direction. Boys, why don’t you introduce yourselves” Nick said.

Yes, we were on my friend, Nick Grimshaw’s radio show and I would most definitely be teased relentlessly by him throughout our hour long interview. When I first told him that I was dating Emily he shot of a million questions about her. Very personal and perverted ones I might add. None of which I answered, of course. 

We all did as we were told and introduced ourselves to the listeners before he got into the questions. He talked mostly about our upcoming album and tour, along with when the fans would expect a new video. After that he went into questions that were sent in by fans.

“This is from Melanie. ‘If you were an animal. What animal would you be and why?’ Let’s start with Louis” Nick said.  
“Well....I think I would be...A dog. They just seem really carefree all the time”  
“I’d be a hyena, so I can laugh all the time” Niall said.

I could so see Niall as a hyena.  
“I’d be a dog as well” Liam agreed with Louis.  
“I don’t know what I’d be...Maybe an owl. They’re pretty cool” Zayn answered.  
“What about you Harry?” Louis asked me.  
“I’d be a turtle”  
“A turtle?” Nick questioned.  
“Yeah. They’re really chill, like they don’t move to fast through life”  
“Oh, like the way you talk?”  
“Ha. Very funny”  
“You know, Harry. I seem to recall hearing a certain blue-eyed brunette saying the same thing in an interview not too long ago”  
“There it is”

The boys laughed while I rolled my eyes.  
“Yes, Nick, I have something in common with my girlfriend. Can we move on please?”  
“Alright, fine. Next question is from Josie. ‘Who in the band do you think would get married first?’”  
“Harry” All of the boy said at the same time.

I blinked in surprise.  
“Me?”  
“Yes, you. You and Emily are like the perfect couple. Not to mention the fact that you two have so much in common, even with the little things that you really have to pay attention to to notice”  
“Like what?” I asked, letting curiosity get the better of me.  
“Well, take accents for instance. You both can listen to someone speak a sentence and immediately pick up on their accent” Liam said.  
“That’s right. Emily did it when she first met Paul and me. She does an Irish accent really well” Niall added.  
“Oh, they both have this weird obsession with lips when someone is talking. Like, Harry will stare at your lips while Emily always bites hers when she’s listening to someone” Zayn said.  
“Don’t even get us started on their jokes” Liam teased.  
“Hey! They’re great jokes!” I defended.  
“Yeah. For a three year old. What was that one Emily told us the other day?” Zayn asked the boys.  
“It went ‘Do you want to hear a joke about pizza?’” Liam started.  
“Never mind. It’s too cheesy” He and Louis finished.

I fought the urge to laugh. Sure, it was a pretty bad joke, but that and the way she had said it made it funny. I could just picture her trying to hide her smile as she told the joke to us. My lips curved up into a smile as I thought about it.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he whisked her off on some romantic getaway and brought her back with a ring on her finger” Zayn said.  
“So, Harry. Any plans on popping the big question?” Nick asked.  
“Not at the moment, but it’s definitely a future possibility” I replied with a shy smile.  
“Oh, this is so cute! He’s blushing!”  
“Shut it” I said with a playful glare.  
“Alright, let’s take some callers to distract Harry from planning my imminent death. First up, we have Holly from right here in London. Hello, Holly”

The boys and I chorused ‘hello’ to her and she squealed. I could hear some other voices in the background, indicating that she was with other people.

“Hi!” she said excitedly.  
“Holly, do you have a question for the boys?”  
“Yes. My question is: If you were a chair, what celebrity would you let sit on you?”  
“That is a very good question” I commented.  
“Yeah. I’ve never heard that before...Hmm..If I were a chair...” Louis thought out loud to himself.  
“Leona Lewis” Liam answered right away.  
“I’d say Beyonce” Zayn said.  
“Mila Kunis for me” Niall answered.  
“Hmm...I’d say...Victoria Beckham” I answered.

I was going to say Emily, just to be cheeky, but I decided against it and instead chose the first name that popped into my head. We all turned to Louis for his answer and by now he was grinning like an idiot. It didn’t understand why until he pointed it at me.

“Emily Brighten” he said.

The boys laughed while I gave him a firm look. He just laughed at me, knowing that it annoyed me that he just said that.  
“Not funny, mate” I said.  
“Oh, come on, Harry. I was just teasing you” he said as he ruffled my hair.  
“Yeah. Yeah” I smiled and pushed his hand away.

“Looks like you have a little competition here, Harry. Alright, last caller. This is....hmm. I guess they want to remain anonymous. Here we are. Hello, Mr./Miss Anonymous. What is your question?”

There was a long silence, until I heard what sounded like heavy breathing on the other end. Nick asked if they were there and in return we go a disguised voice that sent shivers down my spine.

“I want to speak with Harry Styles” The deep masked voice said finally.  
“I’m Harry” I asked cautiously. “What did you want to speak to me about?”  
“....Emily looks very beautiful today. It would be a shame if something happened to her...”

My eyes shot a panicked look at Nick, hoping to find this to be some sort of joke, but he looked just as scared as I was. Anger started to bubble up in the pit of my stomach to join the fear that already occupied my core.

“What is this? Some sick joke?” I growled.  
“You might want to recommend better security to her....”

The room was silent...The only noise coming from the sound of a dial tone...


	5. CH 5

Harry POV*

“Um, we’re going to have to cut this short” Nick said. “Here’s Cher Lloyd’s new single”

I jumped from my chair and ran out of the room, pulling my cell phone out in the same motion. My trembling fingers dialed Emily’s number before placing the device to my ear, praying that she would pick up.

~.:o:.~

*Emily POV*

Before the final concert I took everyone out to celebrate at a nice restaurant. I even invited the stage crew, deciding that they deserved to come out and have some fun, too, after all of their hard work over the past few months. Just a few days ago Sara told me that another date was added to the tour...the VMAs. Apparently the people who put the show together saw how popular the music video for ‘Invincible’ was becoming and wanted me to perform the song before they announced ‘Best Group’. It’s so surreal to even be thinking about it. All my life I’ve dreamed about performing at a major award show and now it was finally coming true.

We were in the middle of a laughing fit due to something one of the crewman said when my phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket and smiled when I saw Harry’s name flashing across the screen.

“Hey, Haz” I said cheerfully.  
“Emily! Oh, thank god! Are you alright?! Where are you?!” His frantic voice asked.

A frown made its way onto my face at the fear that was clearly heard through his voice.  
“I’m fine. I’m at a restaurant with everyone. What’s wrong?”  
“Are you alone?”  
“No, do you want me to go somewhere els-”  
“No! Do NOT go anywhere alone until I get there tomorrow afternoon! Give the phone to your dad”  
“Why? Harry, you’re scaring me. What’s going on?”

I heard him take a deep breath before speaking to me in a soft voice.  
“Nothing, love. Everything is alright. Now can you give the phone to your dad? I need to ask him something”  
“O-Okay”

I started to pull the phone away from my ear, but I stopped when I heard him tell me to wait. I placed it back over my ear.  
“Yeah?”  
“...I love you”  
“I love you, too, Harry. Here’s Dad”

I turned to my father who was staring back at me with a concerned look on his face.  
“It’s Harry. He wants to talk to you”

He took the phone from my hand and answered it, listening to what Harry was saying on the other end. The expression on his face scared me. One minute he was laughing and now he had a hard look on his face that only meant trouble. His eyes scanned the room for someone, but he didn’t seem to find who he was looking for.

“Yeah. I got it. Be careful kid” he said before hanging up.  
“Daddy, what’s going on?” I asked him worriedly.  
“Nothing, sweetheart”

He gave me a reassuring smile, but I could see the fear and worry in his eyes. Something big was going on. Something that neither of them wanted me to know. I looked around the room and my eyes immediately focused in on a man who was walking out the door. He had black hair covered by a baseball cap, a mustache, and dark sunglasses. He turned to look at me, catching me staring back at him. A smirk made it’s way onto his face before he disappeared out of the door. I got the overwhelming feeling that I’ve seen him before other than the day Harry and I saw him at Subway. I felt myself come so close to remembering, but all it brought was headache.

“Em?”

I turned my attention to Gabby who was looking at me with a concerned expression.  
“You alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost”  
“Yeah. I’m...I’m fine. I’m not feeling very well...”  
“Maybe we should head back early so you can rest before the concert”

I nodded.  
“I’ll tell Ginger...” I paused when I noticed that he was no longer seated at the table. “Where did he go?”  
“I think he went out for a smoke or something. Maybe he decided to head back early?”

That wasn’t like him at all. He’d never pass up free food and a chance to have a good time. My head throbbed with pain, stopping me from thinking on it any further. I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

~.:o:.~

*Harry POV*

After I got off the phone with Emily’s dad I felt a wave of relief wash over me, knowing that she was alright and would be protected until I got there. Still the question of who the mystery caller was still hung over me. It could literally be anybody. I mean, when you’re famous, everyone knows you, even if you don’t know them. It would be hard to narrow the search down. I made my way back to the studio room to find everyone waiting outside in the hallway for me while someone else took Nick’s place as the DJ. They all looked up at me as I walked up.

“She’s fine. I told her dad what was going on and told him not to tell her anything. I don’t want to scare her”  
“That’s a good idea. We should keep it that way, at least until we can figure out what to do” Liam said.  
“Paul is on the phone with management trying to clean up this mess. They’re notifying police right now” Louis added.  
“There isn’t much they can do. I mean, thousands of people heard it. It’ll be on YouTube and Twitter within the hour” Niall said. “Hopefully, they can come up with some explanation to tell them”

I let out a deep sigh and ran my hand through my hair, then began to pace the hallway. The boys watched me with worried eyes.

“Harry, you need to relax, mate. You’ll be with her by tomorrow afternoon” Zayn said softly.  
“Relax? How the hell am I supposed to relax when someone is threatening to hurt the girl I love?!” I yelled.

Before he could say anything else I collapsed onto the floor, placing my head in my hands. Why did this always happen to us? What did we do to make the world hate us so much?

“It’ll be alright, Harry. We’ll figure this out. Nothing is going to happen to her while we’re around. Plus her dad is in the army so I’m sure he’ll know what to do” Liam said reassuringly.  
“Yeah. We’ll all keep her safe” Niall agreed.  
“Boys”

We looked up to see Paul standing there with a serious look on his face.  
“Simon wants to speak with you. We have him set up in one of the rooms”

We all got up and followed him to a small room where a computer was set up on the table, showing Simon sitting at the head of a long table with other members of management on webcam. We stood together in front of the camera so we were all in the shot. I glanced at each of their faces, neither of them looking happy.

“Boys” Simon said finally. “We’ve found ourselves in quite the situation. One that isn’t going to be easy to fix. We’ve managed to stop the media from talking about the interview, saying that it was just a prank call pulled by one of your friends. The fans seem to be taking it, but there are still some who aren’t. I’ve contacted the police here, as well as in Los Angeles where Emily is performing tonight. Miss Filmore knows what is going on and has gotten more security for her. I don’t want any of you to tell her what is going on until after the VMAs tomorrow. This is the first time she has performed there and is the biggest performance of her career. We don’t need her mind to be elsewhere.”

“As for you boys, I want you to be careful. Don’t go anywhere without a bodyguard or another of the band. Most importantly, keep a good eye on your surroundings. This man could be after one of you as well. Particularly you, Harry. I’ve made sure your family is protected and they have been informed on the situation”

I nodded, giving him a quiet thank you. I never thought about what it could mean for my family as well. My stomach tightened even more as the fear grew within me. Now even more of my loved ones were in danger.

“Try going on with your lives as normal as possible. We don’t want anyone to think that there is something wrong. When you get done at the VMAs come straight back to London and stay there until we tell you otherwise. It would be best if you all stayed together so you’d be easier to keep an eye on”  
“They can stay at my place” I said. “It’s big enough for everyone”  
“Alright. I’ll call you there in a few days. Oh, and I’ve arranged for a private jet to take you to and from Los Angeles. Mr. Higgins has the information. Be safe boys”

With that he was gone. We all sat in the room for a while before finally deciding that it was time to leave. Paul drove the boys to their apartments to get some clothes before going to my place. We were met by two policemen who were waiting in an unmarked car, telling us that they would be outside in case something happened.

I went inside and went straight to my room, wanting to be alone to my thoughts. The boys respected my space and kept to themselves downstairs. I thought about everyone who could possibly be behind this, but I couldn’t think. All of my thoughts were jumbled together with worry and fear and nothing was making sense. I tried to sleep it off, but I couldn’t. Not until I had Emily safe in my arms

~.:o:.~

*Emily POV*

The next day was spent rehearsing for the VMAs. The morning before I picked out a silver one sleeve dress that went down to mid thigh and hugged my frame for the arrival and when I wasn’t performing. My performance outfit is flowing dress that went down to mid thigh in front and the back went down to the floor. The top half was a bright purple color then faded to white as it neared the bottom. It was a beautiful dress and would be perfect for the song.

During rehearsals I got to meet some other famous people such as Rihanna, Avril Lavigne, and even Jon Bon Jovi. I about had a fangirl overload when I saw him walking up to me. Apparently he had seen my of the cover of ‘Living On A Prayer’ that I did on the tour and loved it. He asked me if I wanted to set up a date where I could meet up with him on his tour and perform it with him. I said yes, of course. There was no way that I would pass up an opportunity to sing with one of my all time favorite bands

I ran through the performance a few more times before we decided that it was time to back to the hotel and get ready. I got into the SUV with my father and Sara along with a bodyguard who I’ve never seen before. Since yesterday I noticed a lot more of them have shown up, and whenever I asked Sara or Dad about it they would just shove it off and come up with some lame excuse. In my mind I knew that something was up, but in the end I decided to leave it be.

“Sara, have you heard from Ginger yet?” I asked her as we pulled up to the hotel.  
“He texted me earlier saying that he had a family emergency to attend to”  
“Oh, okay”

Hearing that gave me a little relief. I had been worried about him since he disappeared at the restaurant, so hearing that he was alright lifted some of the stress off my shoulders. We made our way up to our floor and as we turned down our hallway I saw Harry sitting against the wall waiting for us.

“Harry?” I asked.

He saw me coming and jumped to his feet. I ran over, leaping into his open arms, and placed a hungry kiss on his lips. He immediately responded with just as much passion.  
“I missed you so much. When did you get here?”  
“Ten minutes ago. Our rooms are down the hall. I came out here to wait for you”  
“That probably wasn’t the best idea given the situation” Dad said as he walked up with Sara.

Harry looked up at him and nodded.  
“I just needed to see her” he told him before turning to me. “I have to go get ready. I’ll be back in a bit”  
“Okay”

He pressed his lips to mine once more, letting them linger for a few minutes, before pulling away. He kissed my forehead then walked off down the hall to get ready before I could ask him what my father meant. It bothered me that no one would tell me what was going on and it made me even more determined to figure out what it was.

“Emily. They’re ready for you” Sara said from the doorway.  
“Alright”

I walked inside to get ready for the most important night of my life. No pressure.


	6. CH 6

We pulled up to the red carpet, seeing it filled with hundreds of people who were either fans, photographers, interviewers, or celebrities. The nerves that had been built up in my stomach grew at the sight, and I thanked God that I had the boys with me. I was originally going to walk with my father while Harry went with the boys, but they changed their minds at the last minute so now my dad was walking with Paul and I was going with the boys.

“You alright, love?” Harry asked as he laced his fingers with mine.  
“Yeah. I’m just really nervous. This is the first award show I’m performing at”  
“You’ll do great, just like you always do, and I’ll be standing in the crowd cheering you on”

He pressed his lips to my cheek, leaving a trail of butterfly kisses as he moved down my jawline to my lips. I smiled as some of the nerves faded away. He always knows how to make me feel better.

“Hey! Did you forget that there are other people in the car?” Louis asked from the seat in front of Harry.  
“How could I forget when you refuse to let me?”

The boys laughed at my comment while Louis pouted.  
“I’m just teasing, Lou. You know I love you”

I leaned forward, wrapping my arms around his neck and placing a kiss on his cheek. He smiled and turned his head to kiss mine.

“You’re going to do an amazing job tonight. They’ll be talking about it for years”  
“Thanks, Lou”

We smiled at each other and I gave him one last squeeze before releasing him to sit back by Harry. The car finally stopped at the start of the red carpet and my hand immediately reached out to grab Harry’s. He lifted my hand to his lips, placing a soft kiss upon it.

“It’s alright, love. I’ll be right here”  
“We’ll go out first” Niall suggested as he stepped out of the SUV.

I watched as the other boys stepped out onto the red carpet one by one until it was just me left inside. Harry turned and took my hand, helping me step out of the car so I wouldn’t fall with my heels on. As soon as I was ready he let my hand go, moving his onto the small of my back as he led me through the sea of people. We paused to take pictures, each of us smiling. I looked out over the crowd of photographers, spotting a familiar man immediately. He was wearing the same baseball cap and jacket, a mustache across the space between his top lip and nose, along with dark sunglasses that hid his eyes. My hand that was resting on Harry’s chest tightened around his shirt, causing him to look down at me. He shifted his head so he could whisper into my ear.

“You okay?”  
“That man...In the baseball cap and sunglasses. I’ve seen him three times now. He was at the restaurant when you called me” I whispered back, making sure that my head was positioned behind his so I could talk quietly to him and no one could see what I was saying.

Harry tensed up when I told him and his head snapped towards the crowd.  
“Where?”  
“On the left. Towards the back”

Harry looked around before finally spotting him. The man noticed Harry caught sight of him and took off. Harry turned to Louis, quickly saying something to him which he relayed to the other boys. Their faces became serious and worried for a moment before going back to smiling and acting like they were having a good time. They all moved, seeming to surround Harry and I as we started to walk towards the entrance of the building. We didn’t stop for anymore pictures or interviews, which scared me a little. Why were they acting so weird?

The moment we got inside we were met by Paul and my father who looked confused. They must not know what the boys are doing either. I watched as Louis said something to them that made their faces drop.

“You guys go take your seats. I’ll be there in a moment” My dad said before rushing out the door.  
“Harry, what’s going on?” I asked.  
“Nothing, love. Come on”

He started pulling me to our seats, but I stopped making him stop as well.  
“No. Not until you tell me what the hell is going on!”

I raised my voice a little, getting a few glances from people who were passing by, but I didn’t care. I wanted to know what was making them act so weird. Harry turned to me, placing his hands on my cheeks.

“Emily, I need you to trust me alright? It’s nothing you need to worry about, and I will tell you as soon as we get back to the hotel, but please just trust me. Can you do that?”

I stared into his green eyes for a long while before finally nodding.  
“Yeah. I trust you”  
“Thank you”

He gave me a quick kiss, then led me over to where the boys were now seated. They looked kind of tense, but it was subtle enough that you couldn’t tell unless you knew how they acted. Paul had a similar look on his face as he scanned the area surrounding us. It was like they were watching for someone...waiting.... Did it have something to do with that man?

My thoughts were broken when I saw my father walk up to us. He went straight to Paul and said something to him before turning to Harry and shaking his head slightly. Harry’s hand tightened around mine instantly as he stared back at my father with a worried look on his face.

“Everything okay?” I asked them.  
“Yeah, sweetheart. Everything is fine” My dad said before placing a kiss on my forehead.

He took his seat between Harry and Paul, turning his attention to the stage as the host, LL Cool J, walked out onto the stage. I pushed all thoughts and worries aside, deciding that it was no use thinking about it until after the whole show was over. 

~.:o:.~

“-and the winner...for Best Female Artist is.......EMILY BRIGHTEN!”

My jaw dropped the moment I heard my name. All of the boys leapt out of their seats, cheering and jumping around for me. Harry grinned as he lifted me to my feet, then pulled me into a bear hug.. He gave me a quick kiss, then passed me to my father who gave me a quick hug before giving me a nudge towards the stage. I walked down the aisle, passing all of my idols who were smiling and clapping as I went by. Happy tears fell from my eyes as I stepped up the stairs onto the stage where people like Beyonce and Kelly Clarkson stood in the years before.

Justin Timberlake...Yes, Justin freaking Timberlake, smiled at me as I walked up him. He handed me the award, then pulled me into a quick hug to say a quick congratulations before stepping back to let me have to microphone. I stood in front of it, looking out at all of the people with a goofy grin on my face.

“Wow...I..I don’t even know what to say. Just the fact that I was even considered to be put in the same category as artists like Kelly Clarkson, Nicki Minaj, and Taylor Swift is the biggest honor itself, but to actually win this...It’s crazy. I feel like I’m dreaming...but don’t pinch me because I don’t want to wake up if I am!”

The crowd let out the laugh that I was looking for. I laughed a little myself before turning serious.

“My whole life leading up to this moment has been a crazy roller coaster ride...It’s had its ups and downs with a few loops thrown in....but I wouldn’t change it for anything. Because of that roller coaster, I have met the most wonderful people and I couldn’t imagine my life without them. I'm dedicating this award to those people. Thank you for being there when I needed you and always supporting me”

I turned back to Justin who was waiting for me and the two of us walked back stage. When I got back there a bunch of random people congratulated me while I smiled back and thanked them. Sara quickly found me so she could escort me to a dressing room where I would get ready for my performance which was in fifteen minutes.

Anthony, my hair and makeup stylist, immediately got to work doing a few touch ups before I got into my stage dress. He helped me into it, making sure that everything looked absolutely perfect. As he did this my nerves began to grow at the thought of performing to such a big crowd. The other ones weren’t nearly as large as this, not to mention the fact that most of the people have been in the business a lot longer than I have and could pick out little flaws in a performance.

“You nervous?” Anthony asked as he straightened out the bottom of my dress.  
“Nervous doesn’t even begin to describe what I’m feeling right now” I admitted.

He stopped what he was doing, straightened up with his hand on his hip, and pointed his comb at me.  
“Honey, you have nothing to be worried about. You will kill this performance and look fabulous doing it”

I couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm. If you haven’t already guessed, Anthony is what my dad calls a ‘Fairy’, meaning that he’s into other guys. He’s as gay as they come, but I love him anyway. If Gabby and I needed a shopping day he would pick us right up and take us out for a girls day. He’s also a really good listener and has the best fashion sense ever so I let him pick out most of my outfits.

“Thanks, Tony”  
“Anytime, hon”

The door opened revealing a stressed looking Sara, followed by Gabby who was already dressed.  
“Five minutes. You should get to the stage”  
“Alright”  
“Good luck, babe” Anthony said, his arms wrapping around me in a tight hug.  
“Thanks. God knows I need it”

He was about to start lecturing me, but Sara pulled me out before he could. I reminded myself to thank her for that, because once you get him started you can’t stop him until he’s finished which could be hours later. Yeah, Sara is definitely getting something nice in the near future.

We finally made it to the back of the stage where I was prepped and given my microphone. It was just two minutes left to the performance and there was only one thing on my mind...The only thing that can calm me whenever I feel scared....Harry.

~.:o:.~

*No One POV*

Harry tapped his fingers impatiently on his armrest as he waited for Emily to step onto the stage. He was incredibly nervous and worried, not just because he knew this was the biggest performance of her career, but because that man was still out there and the threat of her getting hurt was even greater. If something happened there would be a mass panic. People would run screaming, forgetting any and all sense of logic as they frantically made their way to the exits. There would be no way to find him in that sort of mess. He would get away with it, take a flight out of the country, and disappear.

“Harry” Jack Brighten said, catching the attention of the boy who captured his daughter’s heart. “She’ll be fine. I’ve notified every member of security on the description of the man you saw earlier and there are men lining the stage just in case he tries something. If he does, they’ll catch him”  
“They better”

“This next artist is making her debut performance on the VMAs with her new single ‘Invincible’. Give it up for Emily Brighten!”

The lights shifted to the left stage where Emily stood in an elegant purple and white dress that made her look much older than she was, but still just as beautiful. A few days ago she had gone back to her natural brown hair which was curled perfectly in spirals that fell over her shoulders. The music started playing and she lifted her head to smile out at the crowd. Her eyes drifted to the left where she knew Harry would be seated. He caught her gaze, immediately forgetting all of his worries the moment he laid eyes on her. He watched her take a deep breath before singing the first few lines of the song.

"You know I was broke down, I had hit the ground  
I was crying out, I couldn't make no sound  
No one hears the silent tears collecting  
You know I had lost hope, I was all alone  
Never been so long till you came along  
Teacher, I feel the dots connecting"

Everyone was captivated by her, not once speaking a word to their neighbor as she belted out the song with everything she had. She moved out onto the walkway that led out into the crowd and stopped at the edge. Fans who surrounded it screamed and sang along with every word. It was as if her whole life led up to this one moment. Like she was born to be on that stage singing this beautiful song.

Jack didn't stop the smile that made its way onto his face as he watched his daughter singing her heart out to a song that she wrote for the boy she loved. He felt an overwhelming mix of emotions that he had only experienced twice before; on the days she and Matt were born. He couldn't believe how far she had come and all the hardships she had to go through, but he was damn proud of her for getting here. She sang the last note and every single person in the audience got to their feet, cheering and clapping for the amazing performance. Her eyes filled with tears as the people who she looked up to and idolized gave her a standing ovation.

"Thank you" she managed to choke out.

The lights dimmed and the crowds attention was turned to another part of the stage where the next award was to be announced. Best Group.

*Emily*

After my performance I quickly got changed, then waited backstage for the Best Group to be announced. This was the third award the boys were nominated for and they had already won the other two. My dad, Sara, and I stood there with our fingers crossed as Katy Perry ripped open the envelope. She read over the name and smiled widely before bringing the microphone up to her lips.

"ONE DIRECTION!"

I didn't stop the excited scream that escaped my lips. The boys all jumped out of their seats, forming a group hug before making their way up to the stage. I laughed as Niall and Harry both planted a kiss on Katy Perry. It would probably bother other girls to see their boyfriend kiss someone else, but this is Katy Perry we're talking about here. You can't just pass that up. Zayn took the mic this time and said a few words before handing it to Harry. He looked down at the award with a goofy grin on his face.

"This is crazy. We wouldn't have expected to win anything tonight, especially against the people who were in those categories with us" he paused before glancing to the side stage where I was standing. "There's only one person I want to thank who has been there for me when I needed her most and for putting up with me every day. I love her more than anything"

I smiled at him as he kept my gaze for a moment longer, momentarily distracted. When he realized he was still on stage he turned back to the audience and said a quick thank you before they all turned to walk off the stage towards me. Harry rushed over and pulled me into a kiss before I could say anything, but I didn't mind. He pulled back with a smile on his face.

"I love you so much" he said softly.  
"I love you more" I replied before pressing my lips to his once more for a quick kiss. "Is it alright if we leave? I feel like I’m going to crash from lack of sleep"  
"Alright. I'll let the boys know that we're going back to the hotel"

Harry started to walk away, but Sara stopped him.  
"I'll do that. The car will be brought around in a few minutes"  
"Okay. Thank you"

She nodded and walked off to find the boys.  
"Alright you two. Let's go" My dad said, nodding his head for us to follow him.

Harry's hand slipped into mine and we followed him through the maze of hallways to the front entrance where we came in. It was empty other than a few paps who started taking pictures the moment they saw us. The sky was gray, a cold breeze flowing through the air as small raindrops landed upon the pavement.

Sara called us and told us that the car was on it's way so we waited inside the entrance, watching the rain pour down onto the pavement through the glass window. I shivered slightly as a cool breeze drifted through the crack between the two doors, but it was stopped a moment later when Harry shrugged off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders. I smiled up at him as he leaned down to place a soft kiss upon my lips, his arm making its way around my waist.

"The car is pulling up now" Dad said.

The black limo we arrived in pulled up to the curb and my father ran up to get in the car while I slipped my arms into the jacket. Harry waited at the doorway and watched as my father dropped his cell phone into a puddle under the car. He reached down to get it, eyes widening at the sight of a bomb that was strapped to the bottom, it's countdown hitting the number five....four...three...

"GET DOWN!" He yelled, running back towards us.

Harry turned, tackling me to the ground just seconds before the car exploded along with the windows of the entrance. His body instinctively covered mine, shielding me from the flying glass and debris.

My ears were ringing as I slowly opened my eyes, fear pulsing through my veins. I looked up to find Harry clenching his eyes shut in a pained expression upon his face. I opened my mouth to ask what was wrong, but it came out as a gasp when I saw the back of his white shirt stained red. Pieces of glass had stuck into his back when the window shattered, leaving him in a world of pain.

"Harry!" I cried, carefully moving out from under him so I could look at the wounds, tears forming in my eyes at the sight. They didn't seem to be very deep, but his shirt was blocking my view to verify it. I helped him sit back onto his heels, his hands gripping the fabric of his pants. My trembling fingers accidentally brushed over a shard of glass, causing Harry to hiss in pain.

"S-Sorry" I said, voice shaking.  
"It's okay...Go check on your dad" he said through clenched teeth.  
"Y-You sure you're alright?"  
"Yes, I'm fine"

I nodded before standing to my feet and making my way outside. My eyes immediately landed on a figure lying on the ground to my left. Seeing that it was my father, I rushed to his side, checking to make sure he was still breathing. I felt a heartbeat, but it was weak and I didn't take that as a very good sign.

The boys and Paul were the first to run out to figure out what was going on. Paul immediately dialed 911 when he saw the damage. Louis and Liam ran to Harry's side while Niall and Zayn came over to me.

"What happened!?" Niall asked.  
"T-There was a bomb in the car...My dad... Harry is hurt"

The words came out all jumbled, my entire body shaking with fear, confusion, and worry. I could barely register all that was happening. The fire that was radiating from the car brought back memories of that night...Ones that I fought so hard to push into the back of my mind. It was too much for me to handle. A throbbing pain erupted from inside my skull, causing me to keel over in agony. Niall and Zayn tried to calm me down, but I couldn't stop it. As my vision blurred I could faintly hear Harry scream my name before I succumbed to the darkness.

~.:o:.~

*Harry*

I watched her collapse into Niall's arms, fearing that she somehow got injured.

"Emily!" I yelled, wincing as I did so.

Bloody hell this hurts. My back feels like it's on fire, every little movement sending a new wave of pain through my body. My grip tightened on my pants, knuckles white. Liam put his hand gently on my shoulder, being careful of the glass, in hopes of giving me a little comfort until help arrived. Zayn walked over to see how things were, but all I cared about was Emily.

"She passed out. Its probably for the best right now" he answered.  
"And Jack?"  
"...It doesn't look good mate"

My heart dropped. I knew how close he and Emily were, how close we have gotten over the past few years. He was like my second father and if anything happened to him...Emily would be crushed.

More security showed up to block paparazzi from figuring out what was going on, and some people from inside started to come out to see what happened. Most of them were afraid to leave, fearing that they would be next. I didn't blame them.

I stared back at the flaming car. The memory of Jack's face as he ran towards us, yelling for us to get down, flashed through my mind. My first thought was to get Emily out of harms way so I had tackled her and shielded her body as much as possible. Its a good thing I did, too. The thought of her being put through this kind of pain made me cringe. Her fragile body wouldn't be able to take it.

Paramedics and police finally arrived a few minutes later and rushed over to me, checking out the damage done by the glass. They started to cut my shirt to get better access, but whenever they moved it the shards shifted, causing pain to shoot through my body. I bit my lip to keep from crying out, drawing blood that pooled in my mouth.

"We need to get you to a hospital to get these out" One said. "Can you move?"

I reached out to Louis and Liam as they quickly got to their feet to help me. Each of them took an arm and carefully lifted me to my feet. I kept my upper body as stiff as possible as I made my way over to one of the ambulances, but stopped as soon as I noticed that they were leading me to an empty truck, away from the one they were putting Emily in.

"I want to go with Emily" I said.  
"Sir, we can't-"  
"I'm going with her!" I said more firmly this time.  
"Just let him or he won't go anywhere" Liam told the EMT.

She reluctantly nodded and we shifted course towards the opposite ambulance. I carefully climbed in the back and sat on my knees beside the gurney that Emily laid upon, keeping my back away from the walls. My hand immediately reached out to grasp hers, finding comfort in her touch even though she was unconscious. 

This is the second time that the two of us have ridden in the back of an ambulance to a hospital. It made me wonder if we would ever be able to relax again, or not have to worry about bad things happening to us. In that moment I realized how much I missed our lives before the fire, how simple and carefree it was. We didn't have to worry about the venue burning down or someone trying to hurt us. The more I thought about it the more determined I became to make our lives safe again...no matter what it takes.


	7. CH 7

*Harry*

Four hours and eighteen stitches after coming to the hospital I found myself waiting outside the ER doors for news of what was going on with Jack. After finding out that Emily would be alright, having only suffered a minor concussion, and knowing that the boys (along with Sara and Gabby) were watching over her, I felt the need to make sure everything was alright with the older man. His ambulance had pulled up just a minute before mine and Emily’s, and I caught a glimpse of them rushing him inside as we got out. Their urgency worried me. It reminded me of when Emily started to crash after the fire because she couldn’t breathe and everyone was in a panic to get her inside.

I prepared myself for the worst, what I would say to Emily if he didn’t make it. Just the thought of having to deliver such news broke my heart, and in the end I just gave up thinking about it. Jack is a tough guy and can make it through this. He had to.

“Hey...”  
I lifted my head to find Louis walking up with an extra shirt for me. I smiled at him half-heartedly and slipped it on as he sat down beside me.

“You alright?” He asked me.  
“Yeah...How’s Emily?”  
“She’s still asleep. The nurse said that she should be waking up soon though”

I simply nodded, but secretly dreaded the moment she woke up. I didn’t want her to be pained by the wait, not knowing whether or not her father was alright. Hell, it’s hard enough for me and I’ve only known him for two and a half years.  
“The media is having a heyday with this...It’s all over the news and they have vans and paps outside the hospital right now” Louis said softly.  
“Figures...I bet they aren’t even thinking about the fact that they are putting Emily in even more danger by doing that” I said through clenched teeth.  
“Paul is working with the police to get them out of here”  
“What’s the point? They’ll find some way to get back in”

Louis stayed silent after that, knowing that I was right. That’s the thing about the media. They don’t know when to quit sometimes, even if it’s ruining someone’s life. I understand that most of them have families to look out for or really need the money, but it would be nice to have a break from it all. To just get away from the public eye for a while.

“Mr. Styles?” An unfamiliar voice called.  
I immediately stood to my feet ,wincing slightly as my back stretched, and faced the surgeon who was now standing before me with a blank look on his face.

“The nurse told me that you are speaking for Jack Brighten’s family, is that right?”  
“Yes. Is he alright?”

He took a deep breath before opening his mouth.

*No One POV*

Emily woke up a few hours later in a room surrounded by Gabby, Sara, and the boys (except for Harry). All of them were sitting in silence with grim expressions on their faces, Gabby and Sara’s eyes red and puffy from crying, which only meant one thing....

Her heart started pounding, tears already threatening to fall from her eyes. Liam was the first one to notice that she was awake and stood up slowly, catching the attention of everyone else. Louis saw Emily’s worried expression and got up to bring Harry back.

“W-Where’s Harry? Is he alright?” Emily asked Liam.  
“Harry is fine...”  
“And my dad?”

Liam didn’t answer and instead shifted his gaze down to the floor, telling Emily all the needed to know.

~.:o:.~

Louis found the younger boy sitting in the same spot he had left him, in front of the ER doors. He hadn’t moved from that spot since the doctor came out and told them the news.

*FLASHBACK*

“Mr. Brighten has severe brain trauma from the explosion...From what I could see, the blast must have thrown him against the wall head first, causing a great deal of damage. I’ve tried everything I could, but he just can’t breath on his own anymore. We’ve hooked him up to a ventilator to keep him alive until his family arrives to say goodbye, but there isn’t anything else we can do. I’m sorry”

Harry stood there, staring at the man before him with tears forming in his eyes. After a few seconds he moved to the chair he was previously sitting on, unable to trust his legs to hold him up any longer.

“We’ll move him to room 456. You’ll be able to see him in an hour”  
“Thank you” Louis said, his voice barely above a whisper.

The surgeon left, leaving the two friends to take in all that happened. They sat in silent for a moment before Harry finally spoke.

“How am I going to tell her?”

*End Flashback*

Louis had been the one to tell the others, knowing that Harry needed to be alone in his thoughts as he tried to sort out how to tell Emily. Now, as he walked up to him once more, he prayed that he came up with something.

“Harry...She’s awake...”  
Harry lifted his head to look up at Louis, his red eyes filled with sadness. Without another word he stood up and began to walk to Emily’s room, Louis trailing behind him. Before he reached the door he paused and prepared himself, then turned the corner finding Emily standing on the opposite side of the bed from Liam.

“No! It’s not true!” She yelled at him, even though the tears running down her cheeks said that she knew that it was. “It’s not true!”  
“Em...” Harry choked out, finally finding his voice. Her eyes landed on his and the sad look on his face made it real. “He has severe brain damage...so he can’t breathe on his own...They have him hooked up to a ventilator so you and Matt can say goodbye” His voice cracked as he watched her world crumble down in front of him. He rushed forwards, wrapping his arms tightly around her trembling body as sobs escaped her lips. Her knees gave out so he gently lowered the two of them to the floor, holding each other as they cried. Knowing that their lives would never be the same again.

~.:o:.~

*Harry POV*

We sat on the floor for what seemed like hours, just crying until we didn’t have any tears left. The others were long gone, having left the room because they were unable to handle seeing the broken girl that I held in my arms. She stayed quiet as I stroked her hair, humming softly to her as we rocked back and forth. My phone buzzed in my pocket, but I ignored it even though it was probably my mum wanting an update. I focused my attention on Emily, trying to find ways to give her even the slightest lift of mood, but there was nothing that I could say or do that would help her. Nothing that would make everything alright again. It made me feel so helpless.

“...Harry...” Emily said finally, her voice hoarse and weak.  
“Yes, love?”  
“I want to see him...”

I pulled back slightly to look down at her tear stained face, her makeup smeared over her cheeks and around her eyes. I gently rubbed most of it away with my thumbs before looking into her once bright and shining eyes that were now dull and lifeless.

“Are you sure? You can wait for Matt to get here in a few hours”  
“No. I need to see him now...Please?”  
“Alright”

I got to my feet, pulling her up with me. I pressed my lips to her forehead, her eyes closing when they came in contact with her skin. I moved down to her eyes, giving each a gentle kiss, then to her nose and lastly her lips.

“I want you to know that I’ll always be here for you if you need anything. Anything at all.”  
“I know”

I pulled back and straightened out my jacket that covered the dress that she still wore from the VMAs before grasping her hand in mine, her free hand reaching over to grasp my arm. The others watched us walk down the hallway to room 456 where her father was placed over an hour ago.

Emily paused in the doorway, staring at her father who laid motionless on the bed in front of her. He had tubes hooked up to him that were part of the ventilator that blew air into his lungs because he was unable to so himself. She slowly started to walk in, keeping her hand tightly intertwined with mine. I let her lead me to his bedside, watching as she reached out with her free hand to take her father’s. A single tear fell down her cheek, but nothing more. I lifted my hand to wipe it away, but she stopped me.

“Tell me what is going on.” She said in a firm, but trembling voice. “I deserve to know what the hell you all have been hiding from me”

I was a little shocked by her outburst, but decided that it was time to let her in on the situation. I explained everything from the moment we got the phone call to the second the bomb went off. When I was finished she just stared at me for a long time without saying anything. Her face was unreadable and I had no idea what she was thinking until she spoke up again, turning to look down at her father.

“...So it’s my fault...You got hurt, and my father...is brain dead because of me..”  
“Don’t say that” I snapped, pulling her around to face me. “None of this is your fault!”  
“But it is, Harry! These people are out to get me and they just proved that they don’t care who gets hurt while doing it! I don’t want anyone else to get killed because of me”  
“Emily, whoever these people are, they won’t get away with this. We have every possible person out looking for them and trying to figure this out. No one else is going to get hurt. I promise”  
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep”

I opened my mouth to respond, but quickly shut it realizing that she had me. There was no way I could promise her that nothing else would happen. I couldn’t stop them even if I wanted to. She let go of my hand, turning away from me to look down at her father.

“Go call your mum. I need to be alone for a while”  
“Em, I-”  
“Just go...”

I reached out to touch her arm, but stopped myself and let it drop back to my side. As she asked, I left her alone in the room and made my way back over to where the others were waiting. This time Paul was with them. They all looked up as I got closer to them.

“Where’s Emily?” Louis asked.  
“In Jack’s room”  
“You left her alone? Harry, people are out to get her! You can’t just leave her there”  
“She just lost her father, Louis, and she blames herself for it! Now she wants to be left alone so we’re going to give it to her,” I turned to Paul. “but could you have security stationed outside the door so no one but us or a nurse gets in or out? Just in case?”  
“Of course”

I nodded to him and he left to do so leaving me alone with everyone else. Liam put his hand on my shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"Have they found that man yet?”  
“No, but they did find the ball cap, a black wig, a fake mustache, and the jacket” Louis answered.  
“So, you’re telling me that the man that we saw at the VMAs was wearing a disguise? And now we have absolutely no way of finding him because we don’t know what he actually looks like. That’s great. That’s fucking great! So we have nothing! We were almost killed for the second fucking time, and now Emily’s dad is practically dead because of it!” My voice cracked, a lump forming in my throat again. “I-I should have done more to protect him...to protect Emily from being put through this. She doesn’t deserve any of it, and it kills me that I can’t do anything about it”  
“I know, mate...We all feel the same way, but you’re going to have to let the police handle this. There’s nothing any of us can do, no matter how much we want to” Niall said.

I let out a deep sigh, knowing that they were right. Whether I like it or not I have to let the police do their jobs and not interfere with anything. That’ll just cause more trouble than it’s worth.

“Harry...”

I turned around to see Matt standing there with a sad look on his face, eyes slightly red. He looked tired and exhausted, like he hadn’t slept in a while.  
“Where’s Emily?” he asked.  
“She’s with your dad in the room. I’ll take you to her” I said, nodding my head towards the hallway that led to the room.

We walked in silence, taking a few turns before finally coming to the door where two men were standing guard. I nodded to them and they stepped aside to let us through. Matt opened the door to find Emily curled up in a chair beside her father’s bed, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks. The second she saw Matt she got up and lept into her brother’s arms. I watched as the two of them held each other, crying over their father. After a few minutes I couldn’t take it anymore. I rushed out of the room, leaving them alone to grieve. Seeing them like that made me want to go home, hug my family, and tell them I loved them. Something I felt I didn’t do enough, but after today that is going to change.

"Harry" Louis' voice called, catching my attention immediately at the tone of his voice. "The police just found Emily's bodyguard, Ginger....he's dead"


	8. CH 8

-2 Days Later-

*Harry POV*

I sat outside of the door waiting for the nurse to come and unhook Jack from the machines. Everyone else had gone back home to London except for Matt, Emily, Paul, and I. Paul stayed back to help with security, but unfortunately he was unable to do much about the paps and news crews other than call the police to help keep the area clear in case of emergencies.

The story has been all over the news and now the world knew about what happened. Management was having a fit about the whole situation and has been trying to come up with some kind of solution, but no matter what they did it wouldn’t help. Whoever was behind this now knew about Jack and my injuries. I just hope that this will be the last that we ever hear from them. They’ve taken enough from us already

Ever since Emily found out about Ginger she’s been sitting beside her father’s bed staring off into space. She has this blank look on her face that terrifies me. It was almost like she was just this empty shell, almost robotic in the way she moved with no motivation whatsoever. I don’t blame her...I mean, I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to my mum or sister or Paul.

I spotted the nurse walking up and immediately jumped to my feet, following her inside the room. Matt looked up at us with sad eyes that worsened when he realized what was about to happen. Emily, however, just sat there staring blankly at the floor in front of her. I wanted to go over and pull her into my arms, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it right then.

“I’m going to shut the machines down now” The nurse said quietly.  
Matt nodded and we watched as she walked over to the bedside and unplugged the ventilator. She unhooked the tube connected to his throat, then shut off the other machines that were attached to him, apart from the heart monitor. I held my breath as the beeps got further and further apart, eventually turning into a long continuous one.

I closed my eyes tightly, hanging my head in grief. I may not have known him for very long, but I felt close to Jack. He was like family. My eyes snapped open when I heard a sob escape from Emily’s lips. I immediately rushed to her side and pulled her up into my arms. She cried into my shirt for what seemed like the hundredth time and it was absolutely heartbreaking. No one should ever have to deal with this. Especially not her.

“Take me home, Harry” She said in a broken voice. “I want to go home”  
“I’ll stay back and take care of everything” Matt told me. “Get her out of here. I’ll call you when I have everything settled to bring him home”  
“You sure?” I asked him.

He nodded, not taking his eyes away from his sister. I let go of her for a moment so he could hug her goodbye before he returned her into my arms.  
“Come on, Em. Let’s get you home”

~.:o:.~

“Emily! Do you have any idea who is behind this?”  
“Harry! Did you get injured in the explosion, too?”  
“Emily!”  
“Harry!”

Flash after flash.

Question after question.

This is what we were met with when we walked out of the hospital. Emily, who was wearing my black jacket, had it pulled up over her face to shield herself from them as she pressed herself into my side. Paul and other policemen guarded us as we were rushed to the car. When we finally made it I turned back to the crowd and glared at them.

“What the hell is wrong with people?” I muttered to myself.  
“They’re just doing their jobs” Emily said softly.  
“Well, they can do their jobs a little less aggressively and at least respect our space and private lives”

Paul got in a moment later, signaling for the driver to go before turning to look back at us  
“You’re bags are already packed and at the airport, so we’ll be going straight there”  
“Alright. Thanks Paul”

He nodded and I turned to look at Emily who was snuggled up into my side, her head resting on my shoulder. She looked absolutely exhausted. Her eyes were still red and were dark underneath them from lack of sleep, an occasional tear moving down her cheek. Her skin was pale and I knew that she hadn’t eaten much since we got to the hospital either.

“You should try to sleep, love”  
“I can’t....Everytime I close my eyes I can see it...” She paused and looked up at me. “I’m sorry for yelling at you before”  
“It’s alright. I know you didn’t mean it” I put my hand on her cheek and stared into her eyes for a long while. “I love you so much, Emily. If...If I could do something to fix this, I would in a heartbeat. Just remember that you can talk to me alright? To all of us. We’re here for you”  
“I know...How is your back?”  
“Don’t worry about me, love. I’m fine. Just...try to sleep?”

She nodded and I leaned in to place a soft kiss on her cold lips, then moved to her forehead, letting my lips linger there for a moment. I pulled back and she moved her head back to my shoulder, closing her eyes to try to sleep. I traced circles on her arm, singing softly to her as I did so. Within minutes I felt her body relax and her breath evened out, telling me that she had finally fallen asleep.

When we arrived at the airport the private jet was waiting and I carried her onto it, placing her down onto the couch and covered her with a blanket before joining Paul at the front of the plane. I let out a deep sigh and put my head in my hands.

“I don’t know what to do anymore, Paul. I want to protect her, but I don’t know how. I want to comfort her, but I know nothing I say will help. No matter what I can’t win”  
“There is something you can do....” He said, making me lift my head up to look at him. “You can be there for her when she does need you. Emily likes to be independent and has her own and deals with things better that way. Just give it time. Now, you should get some sleep as well. We have a long flight ahead of us”

I nodded and walked back over to the couch where Emily was sleeping. I laid down next to her and she immediately shifted so she her head was on my chest and she was laying half on top of me and half on the couch. I wrapped my arms around her and placed a kiss upon her forehead, then closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

~.:o:.~

We arrived back in London ten hours later and were once again attacked by paps and news crews, but this time there was a path cleared for us to go straight through to the car. I lifted Emily’s sleeping form into my arms and carried her to the car. She had a nightmare an hour after she fell asleep and had just gotten back to sleep two hours before we landed. The rest of the flight was spent calming her down and just holding her as she cried. It was horrible to see. She started whimpering in her sleep, then suddenly screamed and shot up with tears streaming down her face. Seeing her like that reminded me of the first few months after the fire. She had had nightmares about that night too that were more amplified and horrifying, according to what she told me.

When we got to the house I carried the sleeping girl inside to find the boys all waiting on the couch. They jumped up when they saw me and went out to help with bags while I took Emily to the bedroom and tucked her in. Before I left I watched her sleep for a bit, then placed a kiss on her forehead and went back downstairs.

“How is she?” Niall asked.  
“Exhausted...She’s barely slept because she’s starting to have nightmares again”  
“What about you?” Louis asked.

I sighed deeply, immediately regretting it when I felt a pain in my back from doing so.  
“I’m fine” I lied.  
“You should try to get some sleep, Harry.” Liam said in his fatherly voice. “We can take care of everything else and we’ll wake you if Simon calls”  
“Alright”

I said goodnight to them, then left them to do whatever. After changing into pajama pants and a tshirt I slowly crawled into bed with Emily, being careful not to wake her. I turned onto my side, facing the same direction she was, and scooted myself close to her so I could wrap my arms around her. She turned around so she was facing me, her face just inches from mine as she snuggled into my chest.

“Harry?” She asked tiredly.  
“Yes, love?”  
“Promise you won’t leave me, too”

Her voice sounded so small as she spoke, her eyes showing obvious fear. I reached up and placed my hand on her cheek, brushing a stray hair away from her face.  
“Never”

~.:o:.~

*Emily POV*

I was twelve years old when I went to my first funeral. I haven’t been to many since then, but even then it was nothing compared to his.

No.

This time was completely different.

This time I felt responsible for it.

Throughout the whole ceremony that was the only thing running through my mind. It was my fault that my father was lying in a wooden casket in front of me, never to see his children grow or get married and have families of their own. It was my fault that his sister and brother, my aunt and uncle, were standing next to me crying their eyes out along with so many more people that knew him or worked with him. It was my fault...

Harry stood beside me the whole time, never once letting go of my hand. He wiped my tears and spoke for me when I couldn’t bring myself to say anything out of fear of breaking down again. Even now, in the cemetery where my grandparents were buried, he never let go. He was the one that kept me up when all I wanted was to fall, and reminded me that I still had important people in my life who cared about me and love me.

Matt was stronger than I was. He let a few tears fall, but never truly let himself crumble like I did. When he spoke about my father he focused on the fun things that made people laugh. It’s actually kind of ironic that I am the famous recording artist of the family and can perform in front of thousands of people, but he is the one who knows how to handle the small intimate crowds. He knows exactly what to say and when to say it, a quality that he inherited from our father.

I watched as the army men began to fold up the flag that was laid over his casket, another group raising their guns for a salute. Gunshots rang out and I jumped, tightening my grip on Harry’s hand. It sounded like the bomb going off, a sound that now terrified me to my core. He quickly caught on and let go of my hand so he could wrap his arms tightly around me.

“It’s alright, love” he whispered soothingly.

They shot their guns three more times. Every time they went off I flinched, becoming more and more emotional as I remembered the moment the bomb went off. Tears started to stream down my cheeks and the people around me gave me sympathetic looks. When the flag was finally folded one of the men, who I knew as my father’s close friend, Sean, walked over to me. He had a sad look in his eyes as he held it out to me, meaning for me to take it. I let go of Harry and he placed it into my arms, then stepped back to give me a salute. I held back the sob that threatened to escape from my throat and held my head high.

Soon after it was time to say our last goodbyes before the casket was lowered into the ground. I waited for a long time to let everyone else go before me, not yet ready to say goodbye. When it was finally my turn I couldn’t bring myself to move. Harry placed his hand on my back and gently nudged me forwards. I slowly walked up to it, slowly reaching my hand up to touch the top of it. There was only one thing that was running through my mind. The one thing that got me through the day when he was away....

Our song....

The one we always sang when we were apart and needed some comfort. The one that we sang countless times during the army concerts that were held on the base. I swallowed down the lump in my throat and started to sing it softly, not caring about the people around me.

~.:o:.~

He called her on the phone  
From a lonely cold hotel room  
Just to hear her say I love you one more time  
But when he heard the sound  
Of the kids laughing in the background  
He had to wipe away a tear from his eye

~.:o:.~

“Daddy don’t go” I begged, tightly hanging onto his neck.  
“I have to, sweetheart” he said, his voice cracking slightly as he spoke. “I’ll be back before your next birthday”  
“Pinky promise?” I asked, holding my pinky out to him.  
“Pinky promise”

He hooked his large finger with my small one, then placed a lingering kiss on my forehead.  
“I love you so much” he said, pulling me into one last hug.  
“I love you, Daddy”

~.:o:~

A little voice came on the phone  
Said “Daddy when you coming home”  
He said the first thing that came to his mind

I’m already there  
Take a look around  
I’m the sunshine in your hair  
I’m the shadow on the ground  
I’m the whisper in the wind  
I’m your imaginary friend  
And you know I’m in your prayers  
Oh I’m already there

~.:o:.~

“Am I doing this right?”

I looked up and burst out laughing as my father attempted to do the Macarena. He grinned and kept doing it all stupid-like.

“No. No. You do it like this”

I stood up and showed him how to do it and he copied my moves perfectly. Soon we were both jamming out in the middle of the living room, too distracted to hear the front door open or my brother walk in with his latest girlfriend, Maggie.

“Hey! Macarena!” My father and I sang, finally turning to the young couple who were staring at us like we were insane. We just stared at each other for a long moment before Maggie burst into giggles.

“Can I join you?” She asked.  
“Yeah! Jump on in!” My father said.  
“Chris, come on”

She pulled him into our line and we started up the music again, laughing and dancing all crazy.

“HEY MACARENA!”

~.:o:.~

We may be a thousand miles apart  
But I’ll be with you wherever you are

I’m already there  
Take a look around  
I’m the sunshine in your hair  
I’m the shadow on the ground  
I’m the whisper in the wind  
And I’ll be there till the end  
Can you feel the love that we share  
Oh I’m already...There


	9. CH 9

~Six Months Later~

*Emily*

“Hey, Harry?” I called from the kitchen.  
“Yeah, babe?” he called back from upstairs where he was getting dressed.  
“Can you help me out here. I don’t think I’m doing this right”

I stared hopelessly down at the birthday cake that we made for Lux’s second birthday. I had just pulled it out of the oven and finished frosting it. The only thing left was to add on the white icing border and the words, but I couldn’t figure out how to get the stupid stuff to come out of the bag for the life of me. Harry walked in carrying his shirt and chuckled when he saw me glaring at the bag. He tossed the shirt onto the counter and silently grabbed a pair of scissors from the drawer, then walked over to me and took the bag out of my hand. I watched as he cut the tip off it, immediately recognizing my mistake.

“Oh shut up” I muttered, causing him to laugh.  
“It’s okay. I did the same thing when I first started”  
“You don’t have to lie to make me feel better. I know damn well that you didn’t do something that stupid”  
“You’re right I didn’t”

I gasped and smacked his arm. He laughed and rubbed his sore skin. I took the bag from him and started with the white border, but it wasn’t turning out very well so Harry stepped in. He shifted so he stood behind me then wrapped his arms around my waist, placing his hands over mine as he guided me through it. After we finished with that we switched to purple icing for the lettering. After writing ‘Happy Birthday Lux’ on the cake we stood back and admired our handy work.

“We did pretty good” I commented.  
“It’s perfect” Harry agreed.

I turned back to smile at him and he leaned forwards, pressing his lips to mine. I melted into his arms, feeling butterflies in my stomach just like every other time we kissed. Every kiss felt like our first to me. It was like I was back in the hotel lobby, kissing a boy I had just met but fell for within a few hours.

My happy memories were interrupted when I felt the cool sensation of icing being spread across my cheek. I pulled back, wiping a bit off with my finger so I could look at it. Harry just grinned as I looked up at him with a ‘really?’ look.

“Oh, you think this is funny, huh?” I asked him.  
“Yeah. I think it’s very funny” 

I stared at him for a moment then suddenly grabbed the bag that he held in his hand and squeezed it so it sprayed out all over his face. By the time I finished his eyes were completely covered with the purple icing. He reached up and wiped it away from his eyes then smiled down at me. Before I could get away he grabbed my arms and started kissing me all over my face, covering it with icing. I let out a squeal and tried to stop him, but I was laughing so hard that I had no strength to push him away. He finally stopped and pulled back to admire his work, letting out a laugh at the look on my face.

“Now look what you did” I said with a pout. “Now I gotta get cleaned up”  
“You started it” he replied with a laugh. “Let’s take a picture. I want to remember this”

He took out his phone then pulled me to his side and proceeded to lick the side of my face. I let out a half laughing/half disgusted sound and he snapped the picture. When he flipped it around we both laughed at it. My face was all scrunched up in a weird way because I was laughing, yet grossed out by the fact that Harry was licking my cheek. Overall it was a really cute picture.

“This is so going on Twitter” he said with a smile.  
I looked over his shoulder as he uploaded the picture then added ‘Finished frosting Lux’s birthday cake with @EmmyB13. Yummy ;)’ underneath before posting it. Within minutes it was sent around the fandom and people were commenting on how cute it was or saying weird things that made us laugh. It felt good to mess around again without worrying. It felt...normal.

“Well, we better get cleaned up. Lou wants us there in fifteen minutes” I said as I started walking to the bathroom.  
I didn’t get far, however, because Harry pulled me back and pinned me against the fridge with that sexy lopsided smirk of his. He leaned in and trailed his lips along my neck, leaving soft kisses up to my jaw line. I bit my lip to hold back the moan that threatened to escape them.

“You know...I can think of another use for this icing” he whispered huskily into my ear.

Somehow, I managed to fight the sensation that began to form in the pit of my stomach and pushed him back a little.   
“Down boy. We have a birthday party to get to” I said as I slipped out of his arms and started the walk to the bathroom. “but maybe we can come back to it after the party”

He grinned at me as I walked away then went to the sink to wash off his face for Lux’s party. Something told me that tonight would be very interesting.

~.:o:.~

“Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear, Luxy. Happy Birthday to you!”

We all cheered as Lou and Tom helped Lux blow out her candles. And by all of us I mean her family along with us, the boys, along with her friends as well as some of Tom and Lou’s friends who are around the little girl a lot. She looked so adorable in her little pink dress and single ponytail on her head. Who am I kidding? This kid looks adorable all the time.

After the candles were blown out Lou began to cut the cake. I stepped in to help her dish up plates and make sure that everyone who wanted a piece got one. When we were finished I took my own plate of cake and ice cream and walked over to Harry who was sitting on the couch with the boys while everyone else stayed in the dining area with the kids. I noticed he didn’t have any and paused.

“Do you want me to get you a plate?” I asked him.  
“Nope. That’s what yours is for” he replied with a grin as he patted his legs for me to sit on them.  
I rolled my eyes, but sat down anyway. His arms wrapped around my waist and he kissed my cheek. I smiled and scooped up a bit of cake and ice cream on the fork then held it out to him. He opened his mouth and let me feed it to him.

“Mmm. We made a damn good cake” he commented.  
“You did. This is really good guys” Louis said from across the room.  
“Thanks, BooBear” I said with a smile.

I took a bite myself and finally realized how right they were. It just melted in my mouth and the frosting was perfect. I didn’t notice how much I was enjoying it until I heard the boys laughing.

“See! I told you she sounds erotic when she tastes good food!” Harry laughed.  
“Harry!”

I smacked his arm and my face turned red. He just laughed harder along with the rest of the boys. Lou apparently overheard and was laughing from the doorway as well.  
“Please tell me no one else heard that” I begged her.  
“No, only me.....and Tom....but that’s it” she said.  
“It’s okay, love. We still love you” Harry said.  
“You’re an ass” I replied hotly, feeling a bit angry at him for teasing me.  
“Oh, come on, babe. I was just teasing. I wuv u, Emmy”

He gave me the puppy dog eyes and puffed his bottom lip out, but I ignored him and got up from his lap. I moved over to Niall’s lap.  
“No more cake for you” I declared.  
“Emmmyyyyy” He whined childishly.  
“Nope. You’re in trouble. Go to timeout”

I was joking about the time out part of course, but Harry....being Harry....decided to take it literally and made me crack up laughing as he stood up and sat himself in the corner facing the wall.  
“I was kidding” I said between laughter.  
“Am I not in trouble anymore?” he asked hopefully.

I nodded and he jumped up from the floor, making his way over to me with a smile on his face.  
“I believe this belongs to me” he said to Niall.

At first I thought he was talking about the cake, but then he proceeded to lift me up out of Niall’s lap and carry me back over to the other couch to sit me down in his spot. He then plopped down on the floor in front of me with his back against the couch. The boys chuckled and I just smiled and shook my head, reaching out to play with his curls.

*Harry*

I’m not jealous and I definitely have no problem with Emily hanging out with the boys, but after all that has happened I feel the need to be with her at all times. I have a fear that I only have a short amount of time with her left and I’ve become determined to spend every moment with her, trying to pack in as much as I can before something else happens. I find myself becoming more aware of my surroundings and rarely trusting strangers anymore. Every time someone new comes up to us because they recognize us and want to say hi or to get a picture/autograph my heart starts pounding and I’m constantly on edge until they leave. Sometimes I wish everything was just back to normal. To the days when we first met and were on tour. When life was much less complicated than it is now.

I let out a deep sigh and laid my head on top of Emily’s leg. She must have noticed my mood change because moments later I felt her hands move to my shoulders, gently massaging the tension out of them. I closed my eyes and relaxed under her gentle touch. After a few moments she moved forwards and wrapped her arms around me.

“Quit worrying about everything. you’re stressing yourself out” she told me quietly so only I could hear.  
“I can’t help it. I just...I don’t want anything else to happen to you or anyone I care about”

She went silent for a while, lost in her thoughts. She was thinking it, too. I wish we could just get away from all of this...

Suddenly an idea popped in my head and I smiled up at her.

“What if you and I just went away for a few weeks? Just the two of us.” I asked her.  
“And go where?” she asked me with a smile on her face.  
“Anywhere you want, love.”  
“Hmm...Anywhere I want, huh? Well, it would have to be someplace warm....private....oh, and it definitely has to be near a beach.”

A wide grin formed on my face. A friend of mine owned a private island in the Virgin Islands and I’m sure he’d let us use it for a couple weeks.

“I know the perfect place. I’ll make a few calls tomorrow and set things up”  
“Don’t you guys have to do some studio work soon?” she questioned.  
“It can wait for a while. I’m sure Simon will understand that this is more important and both of us could use a vacation”  
“You can say that again” she muttered.

I chuckled and kissed her cheek. She smiled, then turned her head so she could press her lips to mine. My hand made its way up into her hair, pulling her closer to deepen the kiss.

“Ahem”

We parted and looked up to see the boys staring at us.  
“Come on you two. This is a child’s birthday party. Have a little control” Louis said with a stern voice, but the smirk on his face showed that he was just teasing.  
“Sorry” Emily muttered, her face turning red for the second time in the past hour.

I just smiled and intertwined my fingers with her hand that was resting on my shoulder. I couldn’t wait to be alone with her for two weeks...no fans...no paparazzi...just us.

*Emily*

Lou and I picked up dishes and such while the boys entertained the kids by singing funny children songs to them. I laughed as they sang Old McDonald Had a Farm while making really obnoxious animal sounds that made the kids (and adults) burst into giggles.

“They’re really great with kids, aren’t they?” Lou commented.  
“Yeah, they are” I agreed.  
“So, how have you been?”  
“I’ve been great actually. I feel like things are finally starting to calm down”  
“So you haven’t heard anything else from those people?” she asked cautiously.  
“Nope”  
“Aren’t you worried that something else will happen?”

I thought the question over for a long time before giving her an answer.  
“No. I’m tired of worrying and being cautious of everything. I’m not letting whoever this is control my life anymore. I don’t want to be afraid of getting hurt or killed everytime I step outside. That’s no way to live. If today is my last day then I’m going to spend it the way I want to.”

Lou smiled at me.  
“You go girl”

We both laughed.  
“Come on, let’s go back so your baby can open up her presents”

~.:o:.~

*3 Days Later*

*Harry*

I jogged up the stairs and walked into the bedroom to find Emily trying to shut her last suitcase. She resorted to jumping up and sitting on top of it in attempts to get it to zip up, but it failed. I laughed and she huffed.

“Harry, this stupid suitcase won’t close” she whined, crossing her arm over her chest.  
“Well it would close just fine if you didn’t pack it full of clothes” I commented as I walked over to her.  
“I need everything that is in this bag, Harry” she argued.  
“Whatever you say, babe” I replied with a chuckle.

Women and their clothes. A dangerous combination on many levels. First and foremost being an over packed suitcase. With her still sitting on top of it, I managed to get it fully zipped up. Emily hopped off so I could take it downstairs, and the second I lifted it up I nearly got knocked out of balance.

“Did you pack the whole damn closet in here or what? This sucker is heavy”  
“No. Just the stuff I need. Do you want me to help you carry it down?”  
“No, no. I got it”

Not wanting to crack my manly ego, I carried the heavy suitcase out to the car. By the time I was done and got to stand up straight my back was killing me. I winced as it cracked when I turned to each side, but afterwards it felt much better. I shut the door then turned back to help Emily make sure everything was shut off and locked up in the house. When that was done we finally pulled out of the driveway and headed to the airport where the boys were waiting to see us off.

“You two have fun” Liam said as he hugged me goodbye. “And don’t get into any trouble. You two seem to attract it like a bright light does to moths”  
“The whole point of this trip is to get away from trouble. If anything happens then I will be severely pissed and might just kill someone” I said.

Liam chuckled and ruffled my hair.  
“Well, let’s hope that doesn’t happen”

I nodded and turned to see Emily giving Niall a bear hug. She laughed and gave him a kiss on the cheek before moving onto Zayn and lastly, Louis. He whispered something to her that made her face turn red. She smacked him and he just laughed at her. I raised my eyebrows at him, but he just shrugged acting as if he didn’t do anything. I walked over to him and gave him a quick hug.

“What did you say to her?” I asked.  
“Nothing...Don’t worry about it” he replied with a grin.  
“See, you say that and it only makes me worry more”

Louis chuckled and put his hand on my shoulder.  
“Exactly. Have fun, Hazza. You two deserve a good vacation...alone...on a romantic beach...snuggled up under the moonlight”  
“Alright! I get it! Just stop.”

We laughed and pat me on the shoulder.  
“Alright, we gotta go” I told everyone.  
“Wait! You guys can’t leave without a group hug!!” Niall yelled.

The boys all attacked us in a big group hug, squishing us together in the middle of them. We laughed and caught the attention of a couple fans who happened to be in the airport as well. They yelled hellos to us and we waved them over to take a few pictures. The two girls went to Emily first and started gushing about how she was their idol and how amazing she was. I smiled at her reaction to them. She was so grateful to them and promised to follow each of them on twitter. We took a few pictures before our flight was called and we had to leave.

“I’m afraid Emily and I have to leave now” I said to them.  
“Oh, alright. Are you two going on a vacation somewhere by America?” One of them asked.  
“Yes, but its a secret. We’d really like to spend our vacation away from fans and such, so could you please keep it quiet for a while? It would mean a lot to us” I said, hopeing that they would be kind enough to agree.  
“Yeah, of course” They said.  
“Perfect. Thank you so much”  
“You’re welcome. Have fun!”

We smiled and waved at them before turning to leave. Louis decided to leave us with one last embarrassing comment by shouting, “Use protection!” at the top of his lungs. Emily and I both turned around and flipped him the finger which only made him and the others laugh. We turned back and got in line for our flight.

“You know, I love Louis and all, but he’s a real asshole sometimes” Emily muttered.

I laughed and put my arm around her.  
“I know, but just remember that we are going to be Louis free for the next two weeks”  
“Thank god for that”

I smiled and kissed the side of her head. For the next two weeks she and I will finally be able to relax and get away from everything. This vacation is going to be perfect...I’ll make sure of it.


	10. CH 10

*Emily*

The flight seemed so much longer than I remembered, even with the private jet. Within the first few hours I got bored and resorted to doodling on Harry’s arm with a pen. He watched me the whole time and when I finally finished he looked over my artwork with a smile.

“Hey, this looks pretty good. I should get this tattooed” he said.  
“Harry, half of this is just random heart doodles and a couple of poorly drawn animals”  
“So? They’re cute. I like them”  
“You’re so weird”  
“Aw, thanks babe”

He kissed my cheek and I smiled at him.  
“No it’s my turn to draw on you”  
“As long as you don’t draw anything inappropriate like last time.”

He let out a giggle at the memory.  
“Oh yeah. That was funny”  
“No it wasn’t. That picture went all over twitter and was in newspapers and magazines the next day.”  
“Yeah, but I made up for it”

I couldn’t help but think back to the memory. I was so pissed at him, but he found a way to make it all better again. As always.

~.:o:.~

*FLASHBACK*

“Emily....Em, open the door. It was just a joke”

I glared at the locked bedroom door that separated me from Harry. I had locked myself in here at least six hours ago when I saw the newspaper and all of the teasing that came on social network sites. I was the laughing stock of Twitter now and all of the boys joined in thinking it was hilarious that I had all sorts of rude things drawn on my face when I was sleeping. Harry thought it was all fun and games too until I decided to lock myself in the bedroom, windows and all (he had tried to get through one). Now he sat outside the door begging for me to open it and telling me how sorry he was, but I was so pissed off that I didn’t even care.

“Emily....I’m sorry. Please open the door”

His voice held so much sincerity that I almost opened it, but I held my ground. I heard him sigh deeply then get up and walk downstairs. I sat against the door and sighed, fighting back tears that were threatening to fall. I hated fighting with him, but the backlash I was getting for that picture was getting to be too much.

A few minutes passed before my the silence was broken by my phone beeping. I picked it up and saw a new mention on Twitter. When I opened it I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face. It was from Harry. He had taken a photo of himself with ‘I’m a dick’ written across his forehead and a piece of paper with the words ‘I’m sorry, Em’ that he held over his mouth.

I stood up and slowly unlocked the door to see Harry standing there with the same words written across his forehead. I let out a laugh at the sight.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would blow up this much” he said softly.  
“Well...You certainly made up for it”

He smiled and crashed his lips onto mine, hands holding my cheeks.  
“I love you so much” he said between kisses.  
“I love you, too”  
“Good....So can you help me get this off now before it sinks in?”

I thought it over for a moment then grinned.  
“Nope” I said as I walked away from him.

He didn’t quite learn his lesson yet.

~.:o:.~

“You did, but if you do it again then I’ll feed you to the sharks”  
“Alright, alright. I won’t. Hmm...now what to draw”

He thought it over for a moment then grinned and started doodling. I watched him write out ‘Harry + Emily’ on my forearm then draw a big heart around it. I smiled and kissed his cheek then laid my head on his shoulder to watch him draw other random doodles around it. My eyes began to droop and soon I was sound asleep.

~.:o:.~

“Em, wake up. We’re here” Harry said, shaking me gently.  
“Five more minutes” I mumbled tiredly.  
“I’d love to let you sleep more, but Cal is waiting for us. Now up you go”

He pulled me to my feet, keeping his arms around me as I wobbled slightly. When I was finally awake we grabbed our things and walked off the plane to meet a man who was wearing khaki shorts and a blue hawaiian shirt.

‘This must be Cal’ 

He was a friend of Harry’s who worked in the music business as well. From what Harry told me, they met some time during his recording sessions on the What Makes You Beautiful album and became friends. I found it a little odd that he was friends with so many older people, but then again it shows his maturity to a point. Although, he can be the biggest child at times.

“Emily? Helloooo. Anyone home?” Harry asked as he snapped his fingers in front of my face.  
“Huh? What?” I asked the two of them.  
“You totally spaced out” Harry said with a chuckle.  
“Oh, sorry.”  
“Anyways, as I was saying. Emily, this is Cal Langston” Harry introduced.  
“Hello, I’m Emily” I said politely shaking his hand. “Sorry for spacing out. I just woke up”  
“That’s perfectly alright. It’s nice to finally meet the girl who got this kid here to settle down” he joked, nudging Harry in the side.

Harry chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, a little embarrassed by his comment. I took his hand and smiled at him to let him know that it was alright and he shouldn’t worry about it.

“Anyways, let’s get you two to your getaway. Follow me”

We followed Cal to the waiting car that already had our things placed inside. We piled in the car and he drove off through the city. I looked out the window and smiled at all the shops and cute little restaurants with outside dining areas. Spending two weeks here would definitely be fun.

We eventually came to the docks where Cal had a boat waiting for us to take us to his island. He started explaining what it was like as the boat driver took us out to sea.

“It’s small, but big enough for you two to go for little walks around the beach if you like. I have a feeling that you’ll love it, Emily. My wife is a lot like you from what Harry tells me and she never wants to leave. he told me.  
“I’m sure I won’t either after this” I said with a smile. “This place is beautiful and I’ve only seen a small part of it”  
“Just wait until sunset. It’s breathtaking. Oh, and there is a little party going on two days from now. There’s going to be dancing and entertainment. You two should go”  
“That sounds like fun” Harry said, looking at me for my reaction.  
“Yeah, it does” I agreed.

Cal nodded and turned to see that we were coming up on the beach house.  
“Ah, here it is”

I let out a small gasp when I saw the place. It was beautiful. The house sat right on the beach with sliding glass doors that led onto a small patio before hitting the sand. Inside was just as amazing as the outside. We walked through the patio doors straight into the living room with the kitchen on the opposite wall. It had hardwood floors that had a dark finish on them that shined in the sunlight. The bedroom, which was to the left of the living room, held a king sized bed that looked out onto the beach with a perfect view of the ocean hitting against the shore. On the other side of the house was the bathroom which had a full shower and jacuzzi bathtub that I’m sure we would end up using within the next few days.

“Wow. This house is amazing. Thank you so much for letting us stay here.” I told Cal.  
“Hey, it’s no problem. I’m happy to help. Anyways, I’ll leave you two alone. I have all the numbers for boat or car drivers and so on written on the fridge. You can always call me if all else fails, too”  
“Alright. Thanks a lot, mate” Harry said.  
“Any time. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have a flight to catch back to England. Have fun you two. Oh, and Harry” he leaned in to whisper something to Harry who nodded.  
“Got it, thanks”  
“Alright. See you two in a few weeks” he said before walking out.  
“Bye” We called, waving to him as they drove off.

“What did he say to you?” I asked Harry curiously.  
“Just told me where some things are that we might be needing later”

I nodded and we both turned to stare out at the sea. Within seconds we faced each other once more with smiles on our faces, knowing that we had the same thought.  
“You thinking what I’m thinking?” Harry asked.  
“If you mean swimming, then yes. Knowing you it’s the type of swimming that involves no clothes”

He gave me a cheeky grin to prove my theory correct.  
“We’ll save that for tonight when no one can see us if they drive by” I told him as I walked into the bedroom to get my bikini.  
“Aw, fine” He said, following me with a pout.

I tossed his swim trunks at him, still searching for the bottoms for my suit. Harry quickly changed into his trunks then walked over to help me look and found them in my second suitcase.

“How can you find anything in the endless pit that is your suitcases?” he asked me as I took the bottoms from him.  
“I don’t know. It’s a girl thing. Now can you please move so I can go change?”

He was standing right in front of the door, blocking me from leaving the room. He smirked and shook his head.

“Nope.” he replied with a cheeky grin.  
“Harry” I said firmly.  
“Emily” he replied with a happy tone.  
“...Fine. Just...turn around”  
“Why? It’s not like I haven’t seen you naked before”  
“I know, but....gah just do it or you can swim by yourself tonight”

He sighed and turned around so he was facing away from me. I turned away from him as well and began to undress myself, knowing that he would end up sneaking a few peeks anyways. Even though we had....you know....’done it’....a few times I still felt self-conscious about changing in front of him. I don’t know...I just have this feeling that whenever he sees me with no clothes that he’s going to pounce on me and it’s kind of intimidating at times. I’m still not used to being looked at like that.

“No peeking” I said, glancing back at him as he turned away.  
“I can’t guarantee that, love” he replied cheekily.

I smiled and shook my head before returning to the task at hand. I slipped on the bottoms of my black bikini then tied the back strings for the top. After that I threw the other strings up over my shoulders and held the fabric in place as I walked over to Harry.

“Can you tie this please?” I asked him.

He turned around and took the strings from me so I could move my hair out of the way. He pulled on them until they were tight enough, then tied them into a knot. I waited for him to pull his hands away, but instead he let them trail down my sides until they came to a stop at my hips. His soft lips came in contact with my exposed shoulder, leaving a trail of kisses up to my neck where he nipped at the skin. I tilted my head to give him better access, eyes closing as I enjoyed the feeling of his gentle touch.

Then the feeling suddenly disappeared along with his hands. I opened my eyes and turned around to see him running down to the water, laughing as he went. I ran after him and tackled him into the water when he paused to look back at me. We came up laughing and I splashed him in the face.

“What was that for?” He asked with a smile.  
“For leaving me hanging back there” I said with a pout.  
“Ah, well I can make up for that” he said, learning in for a kiss.

I splashed him again and swam away.  
“No. You lost your chance now”  
“I don’t think so, missy” he said, chasing after me.

I screamed and swam as fast as I could back to the shore. I made it two feet from the line where the sand met the water before he grabbed my legs, pulling me down into the sand. I squealed and tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but he held onto me tightly as he tickled into my sides. I cracked up laughing, still attempting to get away.

“S-stop! Hahaha!” I gasped between laughter.  
“Not unless you say ‘Harry Styles is the sexiest man alive’” he said with a laugh.  
“Never!”  
“Alright then. I’ll just keep tickling you”

This went on for a few moments more before I finally gave in.  
“Alright! Alright! Harry Styles is the sexiest man alive!” I yelled.

He smiled and sat up on his knees.  
“Aw, thanks babe”

Before he could react I sat up, wrapping my arms around his torso, and pulled him back into the sand before climbing on top of him so I was straddling his waist. I pinned his hands down, our faces just inches apart. He stared up at me with a grin on his face.

“I quite like this position” he said cheekily.  
“Oh really?”

I brushed my lips against his, running my hands down his arms and chest then back up again. He tried to lean up to kiss me fully, but I pulled back and smirked before moving down his chest, leaving butterfly kisses along the way. I glanced up, seeing his eyes close as I got lower and lower before stopping just above his shorts line. I moved up and kissed his nose without going any further. He growled and the next thing I knew I was lying on the sand once again, his body hovering over mine.

“That wasn’t very nice” he said, his lust filled eyes looking down into mine.  
“You started it”  
“Then I’ll finish it”

His lips crashed onto mine, both of us immediately falling into sync. A wave came over us, splashing water in our faces, but we didn’t stop. My hands moved up into his wet hair, pulling him even closer to me. His tongue moved across my bottom lip, asking for entrance that I gladly allowed. We quickly found ourselves getting lost in the kiss...in the passion behind it. For the first time in months we felt free of worry and grief, and the tension between us was finally able to get out.

Well...for a moment anyways.

We were broken apart by the roar that originated from my foodless stomach. We hadn’t eaten much on the jet and I slept half the time so I had eaten less than Harry had. We both looked at each other for a second before bursting into laughter.

“Leave it to your stomach to ruin the moment” Harry said with a laugh.  
“Shut up. I can’t help it” I pouted.  
“I know, I know. Come on. I’ll make you some food.”

He stood up and pulled me to my feet, leaving our hands intertwined as he led me back up to the house. While he made dinner I grabbed some towels and dried myself off enough so I could slip on some denim shorts. After that I brought Harry a towel and dried his torso off as he cooked pasta for us. Once he was dry I wrapped my arms around his waist and laid my head against his back.

“That smells good” I told him as I placed a kiss on his shoulder blade.  
“It’s going to taste even better. Plus it’ll satisfy that lion of a stomach you have...Ow!” He yelped spinning around to look at me. “Did you just bite me?”  
“No” I said innocently.  
“Okay, you need to take a step back.” He said, pushing me back gently until I was up against the counter before lifting me up onto it. “I know you’re hungry, but that doesn’t mean you can resort to cannibalism” 

I giggled and made a bite motion towards him that made him jump back.  
“Hey! I will tie you up if I have to!” he said, holding the plastic spoon out for defense.  
“Oh, please do. I don’t think I can control my hunger for human flesh” I joked.  
“That’s not funny, Em”  
“You know...We’re the only ones here...alone on this island...no way of escape...We’re far enough away so no one would hear you scream”  
“Emily, please stop. You’re freaking me out now” he said uneasily.

I let out a laugh.  
“Fine, fine.....You know I think I’ll eat your arms first. Lots of muscle”  
“Em!”


	11. CH 11

A few days later we decided to take the time to explore the small island. I brought along my camera and snapped random pictures as we walked along the beach. I paused to pick up a seashell from the water then walked back over to show Harry.

“Look at the pretty colors on this” I said as I looked it over.

His arms wrapped around my waist and he put his chin on my shoulder so he could look at it.  
“It’s pretty, but nowhere near as pretty as you” he said softly.

I smiled and turned my head to kiss him before spinning out of his grasp.  
“Hey, come back” Harry whined, puffing out his bottom lip in a pout.  
“You’ll have to catch me first” I said with a grin before taking off running down the shore.

He laughed and took off after me. I managed to make it all the way back to the house before he finally got close enough to grab me by the waist. We spun around and ended up falling back into the sand in a heap of laughter. I turned to face him and laid my head on his chest.

“We’ve only been here a few days and I already love it” I said as I traced the tattoos on his chest.  
“Me too”

He kissed my forehead, letting his lips linger there for a few moments before pulling back to brush some stray hair from my face. He looked like he was deep in thought about something.

“What are you thinking?” I asked him.  
“You” he replied with a smile.  
“Oh really? What about me?”  
“Just everything.”  
“Nothing specific”

I giggled as he leaned forwards and kissed my nose.  
“Nope”

His gaze turned towards the water and I noticed his eyes widen slightly. He sat up, then turned to pull me up with him.  
“Em, look” he said.

I turned to look out at the water and gasped when I saw the beautiful sight before me. I’ve seen sunsets here a few times now, but this one was breathtaking. The sun laid just over the horizon, leaving a mix of pinks, purples, and blues in the sky that reflected over the water. I immediately got up and ran over to my beach towel where my camera was sitting then came back to my spot and took a few pictures of it. When I was done, Harry took the camera and held it behind us, facing towards us and the sunset. With his free hand he turned my head to look at him before placing a kiss on my lips while snapping a picture at the same time. I smiled and wrapped my arms around his neck, hearing the familiar click of the camera once again. Our lips continued to move in sync for a few moments before he suddenly pulled away with a smirk on his face. I pouted as he stood up and began to back towards the water.

“What are you doing?” I asked as he untied the strings of his swim trunks.  
“Going for a swim” He replied.

My eyes widened in realization, his thumbs hooking under the belt of his shorts.  
“Oh no”  
“Oh yes”

He did a goofy little dance as he dropped his shorts and threw them back at me, making me laugh. He then turned and ran into the water, disappearing under the waves. A few minutes later his head popped up and he smiled at me.

“Come on, babe” He called.  
“No. Absolutely not”  
“Get in the water! Get in!” He yelled.

He paused for a second then laughed.  
“I’m sorry, love. Would you get in? Please, would you get in?” he asked.

I had a sudden flashback of The Notebook when he said that and I couldn’t help but smile. That would be the one movie that the two of us watch almost every time we have a movie night. I just never gets old, and I still cry every time the ending comes.

I snapped out of my thoughts and turned to see Harry waiting for me. I rolled my eyes and stood up, making a grin appear on his face as I took off my suit. I quickly went to the water and stepped in, swimming over to him.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this” I said.  
“I know. I’ve been trying to get you to come skinny dipping with me for ages. You must really love me” Harry said with a smile.  
“Or I’m just incredibly stupid”  
“Or, you were just seduced by my insanely good looks” he replied as he pulled me close to him.  
“Maybe a little”

He smiled and pressed his lips to mine. Our mouths immediately fell into sync, tongues dancing together between our lips. I let a few moments pass before I pulled back and leaned toward his ear.

“How about we continue this in the shower?” I said, placing a kiss on the skin just below his ear.  
“Mmm. That sounds like a plan”

Our lips collided once more and he lifted my legs up so I could wrap them around his waist, then he carried me up the beach to the house.

~.:o:.~

*Harry*

I woke up to a loud bang that sounded like a gunshot, followed by a scream. I shot up in the bed, heart pounding when I saw that Emily was no longer beside me. I immediately leapt from the bed and ran out of the room, calling her name as I searched through the entire house. I looked everywhere, but found no sign of her until I noticed that the patio doors were open. My eyes scanned the beach and widened when I saw her laying in the sand.

“EMILY!” I cried, running to her.

When I reached her I saw that she was wearing the same clothes from the night before -- my Pink Floyd tshirt and her black shorts -- but the shirt was now soaked with blood. I dropped to my knees and pulled her into my arms, cradling her upper body on my lap.

“Emily. Wake up, baby. Come on. Please wake up” I begged her through the tears that were forming in my eyes. “You can’t leave me!!! I won’t let you!!”  
“H-Harry” she choked out.

I looked down and saw her struggling to stay awake. My trembling hand moved up to touch her cheek.  
“Who did this to you?!” I asked through clenched teeth. “I’ll kill ‘em! I’ll fucking kill ‘em!”  
“It was...”

She suddenly started to cough up blood, choking on it as it filled her lungs. A few more seconds passed before she went limp in my arms.

“NO!”

~.:o:.~

I jumped awake, finding myself in the bedroom of the beach house once more. My eyes immediately turned to the space next to me, finding it empty. My heart pounded, terror filling my body.

"Emily!!" I yelled out, praying that she would answer back.

I got out of bed to go find her, but stopped in the doorway when she ran in with a worried look on her face

"What?" She asked me.

I let out a sigh of relief and pulled her into a deep kiss, my hands cupping her cheeks. She was confused, but kissed back until I pulled away so I could hug her. I held her close to me and felt my heart rate slowly start to go back to its original pace. My muscles relaxed now that I had her in my arms and realized that she was safe. I'm just glad it was just a dream.

"What's wrong?" She asked worriedly.  
"Nothing, love. Just a bad dream"  
"Alright...Well, now that you're up you can come have breakfast" she said with a smile.

She kissed my lips once more then took my hand and led me into the kitchen where she had two plates of pancakes, bacon, and eggs set up on the table. I chuckled as she pulled out a chair for me to sit on.

"That's supposed to be my job" I told her as I sat down.  
"Not this time, babe"

She kissed my cheek then went into the kitchen to grab the syrup before sitting next to me. I caught her humming an unfamiliar tune and listened curiously.

"New song?" I asked her as I took a bite of bacon.  
"Yeah. I've been playing it in my head all morning. I already have half of it written. If only I had my piano..."  
"Well, maybe we can find one somewhere. Would you sing what you have for me? Pretty please?" I added my best puppy dog face so she would give in, which she did.

"Alright fine. Ok, so I got up to the first chorus so far"

She took a quick drink of water to clear her throat before starting to sing.

"Fine lights on a beautiful sea  
I choose to be happy  
You and I, you and I  
We're like diamonds in the sky  
You're a shooting star I see  
A vision of ecstasy  
When you hold me, I'm alive  
We're like diamonds in the sky

I knew that we'd become one right away  
Oh right away  
At first sight I felt the energy of sun rays  
I saw the light inside

So shine bright, tonight  
You and I  
We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky  
Tonight  
You and I  
We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky"

I smiled widely as she finished the song.

"You wrote that about us didn't you" I asked her.  
"Psh. No. I wrote it about my secret boyfriend I've been hiding away from you for the past three years" she replied with a grin as she took a bite of pancake.  
"Ha. Aren't you just a little comedian" I said with a smile.  
"Oh you know it"

She did a little hand motion and a goofy face that made me crack up laughing. She giggled along with me for a moment, then finally calmed down.

"Oh, by the way, I called Jimmy to come pick us up in an hour to go wander around the city. Is that alright?"  
"Sounds good"

We finished up our breakfast then got ready for our day out. I slipped on some denim shorts and a light blue button up tshirt. Emily wore a white sundress that went down to just above her knees. As she finished doing her hair I decided to check Twitter to see what the fans were doing. A few of them noticed that Emily and I had left for a vacation, but none of them knew where yet. That was good, but after today I think people will figure it out and it'll be all over by tomorrow.

Jimmy, the boat driver, pulled up a few minutes later. I stood up and called for Emily to hurry up.

"One sec!" She called back.

A moment later she appeared with her sunglasses and my wallet in hand. I smiled and took it from her.

"That's where it went" I said.  
"I was putting money in it. Oh, and I brought your sunglasses, too, because I knew you'd forget"

She unfolded them and gently set them in place before leaning in to peck my lips.

"Ok. Now we can go" she declared, pulling me down to the boat.

We greeted Jimmy and got settled into the seats as he drove off towards the mainland. As we drove around the nearby islands I couldn't help but turn my eyes to Emily. She was smiling to herself while enjoying the beautiful scenery around us, but none of it compared to her. I couldn't wait until the last few days of the vacation...the time when I would finally put my four months of planning into action.

"Harry!"

I snapped out of my thoughts and saw Emily looking back at me with an amused expression.

"We're here" she said.  
"Huh?...Oh, right"

We climbed out of the boat and thanked Jimmy for the ride before heading off into the city. The two of us walked along the streets, stopping at a few shops on the way. We eventually came to the gift shop which Emily absolutely HAD to go into. Most people don't know this, but she has the weirdest obsession with key chains. She has to buy one every place she goes, even if they are from different shops in the same city. There is a huge box of them in our closet back home that she keeps them in, and I wouldn't be surprised if there were a couple hundred in it.

"Oo! Look at this one!! Its a little dolphin!!" She said, excitedly holding the key chain up to my face.  
"Yeah, it's cute, babe" I told her.  
"I'm going to get it" she declared, moving on to the rest of the shop.

I followed her around until I got distracted by some cool looking post cards. As I looked them over I became unaware of the fact that Emily had found a very life-like rubber snake and was creeping up behind me with it. I felt it on my shoulder and when I turned to look at it I let out a girlish scream, swatting it away with my hand. Emily burst into laughter at my reaction and had to grab onto one of the shelves to keep herself from falling over.

"Ha ha. You're hilarious" I said, shooting her a glare.  
"I think I'll get this, too" she said as she wiped away her tears.  
"I don't think so" I told her as I pulled it out of her hand and put it back where she got it. "I'll get you back for that"  
"Sure you will"

I turned around to smirk at her.  
"Are you saying I can't do it?"  
"That's exactly what I'm saying" she challenged.  
"Oh, it's on"

"Oh my gosh!!" A girly voice cried out.

We both turned to see a girl who looked to be around fourteen standing next to us with an excited look on her face.

"Y-You're Harry Styles and Emily Brighten. I'm such a big fan. Could I have a picture with you? If that doesn't bother you, of course. You don't have to. Man, I'm rambling. I'm sorry I shouldn't have asked" she said, turning to walk away.  
"Wait. It's no problem it all" Emily said, making her turn back around.  
"Really!?"  
"Yeah, of course" Harry agreed.  
"Oh my gosh. Thank you so much" she said as she pulled out her phone.

We let her stand in between us and we all made goofy faces as she took the picture. She showed it to us and we laughed at ourselves.

"You look like you're possessed or something" Emily told me.  
"Me? Look at you. It's like you just tasted something really sour" he shot back.  
"Oh, shut up.”

She playfully hit my arm and I just laughed at her. The fan looked at us with a huge grin on her face. We smiled sheepishly, having completely forgotten that she was there.

“Sorry” Emily said, handing her phone back.  
“You guys are so cute!” She gushed.  
“Aw, thanks, babe” I said to her.  
“You’re welcome. Well, I better leave you two alone. Have fun on your vacation” she said.  
“Thanks you, too” Emily called after her.

She waved at us then left the gift shop. Emily turned to me and smiled.  
“She was nice” I commented.  
“Yeah, she was....I’m still getting the snake” She said as she skipped away from me to get it.

I laughed and shook my head before following her.


	12. CH 12

*Emily*

Harry and I spent all day walking around the shops or trying out random food places. We found this candy store and ended up buying like thirty dollars worth of candy. It was damn worth it though. They had all of my favorite candies and tons of chocolate, my favorite being mini M&Ms. I don’t know why, but they always seemed to taste better to me. Maybe I’m just weird. Anyways, as we walked out of the shop I pulled out a handful of gummy worms and popped one in my mouth, savoring the artificial fruity goodness.

“How do you not have rotten teeth?” Harry asked with a laugh.  
“I have no idea” I replied. “Want one?”

He nodded and opened his mouth so I could put one in. I giggled as he sucked it up into his mouth, almost choking because he sucked in too hard.

“Are you okay?” I asked between giggles.  
“Yeah. I’m fine” he said after he swallowed. “Just choking on your sweets of doom.”

I laughed and kissed his cheek.  
“Sorry”  
“It’s alright, love. Want to stop for some ice cream?”  
“Oh my gosh, yes!”

Harry laughed and pulled me over to a small ice cream shop that overlooked the beach below. Inside there were only a few people sitting at the tables eating their ice cream, and none of them seemed to notice us which was good. After ordering our ice cream we sat down at a table near the window so we could look out over the beach.

I spotted a young couple playing with their three year old daughter in the water and couldn’t help but picture myself and Harry. We each held one of our daughter’s hands and swung her back and forth between us as we stood in the shallow water. The three of us were like those families you see on TV commercials and movies. We were happy.

“What are you thinking about?” Harry asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.  
“Just silly stuff. Anyways, what should we do after this?” I asked, changing the subject.  
“Whatever you want to do. It doesn’t matter to me” he answered as he scooped up a bit of my ice cream to try it.  
“Let’s go back. I’m exhausted from all this walking”  
“Alright. I’ll go call Jimmy”

I nodded and he got up to give Jimmy a call so he could get the boat ready. While he did that I decided to go on Twitter to see what the other boys were up to. I scrolled through the feeds and saw that they were pretty much just hanging around London with each other or their girlfriends. As I looked through them one in particular caught my attention. It was from a fan who was talking about how Niall was untalented and ugly. I frowned and immediately went to reply to her.

 

@EmmyB13: Hey! Leave him alone! He’s not perfect - nobody is - but that doesn’t make him any less beautiful and talented, not to mention one of the greatest friends I ever had.

 

A few minutes after my little rant Niall went on and sent me a tweet back.

 

@NiallOfficial: @EmmyB13 Thanks, Em. Love ya, bestie

@EmmyB13: @NiallOffical Love ya, too, Nialler. And yes, it’s amazing here, but I miss you and the boys :(

@Harry_Styles: @NiallOfficial @EmmyB13 Let’s just remember who took you on a romantic dream vacation :)

@EmmyB13: @Harry_Styles Haha. Best vacation ever! Love you xx

@Harry_Styles: @NiallOfficial @EmmyB13 Harry 1 - Niall 0

I laughed at Harry’s comment and not even a second later he slid into the chair next to me.

“So, Jimmy is ready to take us back to the island.” he said.

“Great. Let’s go then"

"Um, actually I have some things I have to do. Souvenirs for the boys and work stuff. I'll meet you back at the beach house later."

"Ok. Walk me to the dock?"

"Of course, love. Can't let you walk alone anyways. Wouldn't want you to trip and fall in the water again."

He smirked and I smacked his arm.

"That was one time!" I said.

“A very hilarious time. I think I have it recorded somewhere. I’ll have to check on the laptop when we get home.”

“You know what? I changed my mind. Just go. I can walk myself”

I grabbed my stuff and got up, acting like I was mad when I really wasn’t. I heard him scramble out of the chair and run up to me. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close to him.

“I’m sorry, babe. I was just teasing. I wuv you”

I turned back to see him puffing out his bottom lip in a pout. I smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

“Alright, you’re forgiven. But if you find that video...”

“I know, delete it”

“Delete it? Dude, I was going to say put it up on Youtube. That shit was funny”

Harry laughed, then we started to make our way back to the docks by walking along the beach. He pulled one arm up around my shoulders while I put mine around his waist, resting my head on his shoulder as we walked. A few people recognized us, but none of them said anything, fearing that they would ruin the perfect moment.

We got to the docks and found Jimmy sitting inside the boat waiting for us. His shirt was off now, showing off his toned abs. Oh, I forgot to mention. Jimmy is only a few years older than Harry and very attractive. Tall, dark, and handsome with chocolate brown eyes. He reminded me of Ben Affleck...a man who I had always had a crush on through my preteen years. Harry noticed me glance his body over and tightened his grip on my hand. I rolled my eyes and gave him a tight hug.

"I love you...and only you" I whispered into his ear, then pulled back to kiss his lips. I went to pull away, but instead of letting me go he brought me closer to deepen it. When we finally separated I raised my eyebrows at him, only to receive a smirk in response.

"Just so he knows you're mine" he said quietly enough so only I would hear. I giggled and gave him one last kiss.

"See you later. Love you"

"Love you, too. I'll be back in a few hours" he replied.

I climbed onto the boat with the help of Jimmy and he untied the rope from the dock, then backed the boat out into the water. Harry waved from the boat and when Jimmy turned away he did the 'I'm watching you' sign with his fingers. I laughed and gave him a thumbs up before we sped off to the island.

A few minutes later we arrived at the island and Jimmy pulled the boat ashore. I started to grab our bags, but he stopped me.

"I'll help you with those" he said, grabbing them before I could protest.

"Thanks" I said.

"No problem"

We made our way up to the house and I let Jimmy inside so he could put the bags in the living room. I went over to the fridge to put the chocolate inside so it would stay cool, then turned to Jimmy.

"Do you want something to drink?" I asked.

"Um sure. Water is fine. Thank you"

I nodded and grabbed two water bottles from the fridge before heading back over to where he was standing so I could give one to him.

"So how long have you been working for Cal?" I asked him.

"Going on three years now. He and my dad are great pals so he gave me this job for the summer one year when I really needed the money. I ended up coming back here the year after. Couldn't stay away."

"I know how you feel. I almost don't want to go back home. It's so cold in London"

I shivered at the thought of the chilly London weather, but then again it was my home and I wouldn't change anything about it.

"So how long have you and Harry been together?" He asked, making a smile appear on my face.

"Four years on Friday"

Jimmy's eyebrows raised.

"Four years? Wow. What's your secret?"

"I don't know. I guess its just one of those million to one relationships. We've had quite a few rough patches, but we always get through them. As long as I have him by my side nothing else matters"

"I really wish I could meet someone like you. Beautiful and passionate."

I blushed slightly at the comment.

"Well, I'm sure you'll find your one in a million some day."

"I doubt it..." He said softly, turning his gaze down to his feet.

"Jimmy, you are caring, you have a great personality, and you're hot. Any girl would be stupid not to fall in love with you."

Jimmy frowned.

"That's the problem...I don't want a girl to fall for me..."

My eyes widened slightly in realization.

"No way! I'm sorry, but I totally didn't expect you to be gay."

"Not many people do...and none of the others seem to want me...I'm not good enough."

I reached over and slapped him lightly on the cheek.

"Don't you dare say that. Jimmy, you are a great guy who has the best personality in the world, and you are extremely hot. Any guy would be stupid not to like you. All you have to do is find the right one."

My mind immediately wandered to Anthony, my hair and makeup stylist, who is also gay and single. Now that I thought about it, he would be perfect for Jimmy and vice versa. He is exactly what Anthony is looking for - I know this because he has told me hundreds of times before - and I'm positive that they will hit it off.

"You know...I actually have a friend who I think you would really like. If you're up for it I could fly him up here for the last few days and set you up on a date."

"No, I...I couldn't possibly ask you to do that for me." He said politely.

"It's no problem. Consider it a thank you for being our chauffer for two weeks. I think you'll really like him."

"You think so?" Jimmy asked hopefully.

"I know so. Here, I'll show you a picture"

I searched through my phone until I found one of Anthony and I that we took just before the VMAs. I handed it to Jimmy and his eyes widened when he saw him.

"Wow..." he said. "What's his name?"

"Anthony"

"Anthony..." He repeated, smiling at the sound. "Can you really set this up on such short notice?"

"Honey, you forget who you're talking to. I am the Love Guru. I can do anything"

Jimmy laughed and gave me back the phone.

"Alright, Love Guru. If you can do this for me then I will forever be grateful to you."

"Let's get started shall we?"

I smiled at him and started planning for their blind date.

~.:o:.~

A few hours later Jimmy had to leave to pick up Harry. I was just finishing up the last preparations for the date when the two of them pulled up to the beach. I got up and met Harry at the door with a kiss on the lips.

"Mmm. Hello to you, too" he muttered against my lips, a smile forming soon after.

"Get your stuff done?" I asked him.

"Yep. All done. Now we can be alone" he said with a lustful grin.

I looked over his shoulder and saw that Jimmy was about to leave. Harry leaned in to kiss me, but I put my finger up to his lips to stop him.

"Hold that thought"

He let me go and watched as I made my way down to where Jimmy was to tell him that everything was finished for the date. He smiled and pulled me into a hug.

"Thank you so much, Emily." He said.

"You're welcome. Just don't break my friend's heart or I'll have to kill you."

He laughed and nodded.

"I promise I won't."

"Good. See you later."

"You, too. And thanks again."

He gave me a friendly kiss on the cheek, then took off in the boat. I smiled to myself and started to walk back up to the house. I had a strong feeling that this was going to work out perfectly between them. I could hardly wait until they finally met.

~.:o:.~

*Harry*

I frowned when I saw him kiss her cheek. They seemed a lot closer than when I had left them at the dock a few hours ago...and I didn't like it. A feeling of jealousy boiled up in the pit of my stomach and it got worse when Emily turned around with a smile on her face.

Did something happen in those two hours that I was gone? No. Emily would never do that...Not intentionally at least. It had to have been something that Jimmy did. Maybe he seduced her...What the hell am I thinking? I'm being ridiculous.

"You're thinking too hard" Emily's voice said seconds before I felt her arms wrap around my neck. Mine automatically looped around hers, my fingers locking together on the small of her back. I snapped out of my thoughts and looked down at her.

"I was not"

"Was too. If you're thinking hard about something you get this look on your face and your eyebrows move closer together. What's wrong?"

"Nothing, love. Just a bit tired I guess."

I reached up to brush some hair from her face, telling myself that there was no way that she would ever do that to me. I can't just jump to conclusions again like last time...especially not now. Not when I have so much going on and there is still a lot to do in order to carry out the plan.

The plan...

What if it all goes wrong now? What if she really is getting a little too friendly with Jimmy and everything falls apart?

My anxiety started up again and Emily immediately took notice. She let go of me and took my hands in hers before pulling me to the bathroom. I followed in confusion, not knowing what was going on until we got inside the room. I watched as she turned on the water for the jacuzzi bathtub, then turned to me with a smile on her face.

"You and I are going to take a long relaxing sit in here. It'll help you release that tension you're building up"

"I'm not-"

She cut me off by placing her lips against mine. I gave in and stopped talking.

"Trust me on this. You are tense and need to relax before you make yourself sick."

"...Alright"

~.:o:.~

Later that night I laid in bed with Emily. She sleeping soundly on her stomach, the blankets falling onto her lower back exposing the bare skin above it. I watched her sleep as I traced circles into her back with my fingers, thinking about what happened earlier in the day.

It was so laid back and fun just walking around with her as we looked through random shops. It was like our lives were finally getting back to normal...Well, except for the whole Jimmy thing.

I'm really starting to hate that guy. I just don't like the way he got so close to Emily within a few hours. That and the little kiss he gave her when he left irritated me. They must have gotten pretty close in those few hours.

Maybe I'm just being paranoid. There's no way Emily would ever do something like that. Maybe I should just talk to her about it...tomorrow.

I let out a big yawn, temporarily closing my eyes and making them even more heavy than they already were. I scooted myself closer to Emily, slipping my hand into hers and intertwining our fingers before finally falling asleep.


	13. CH 13

*Emily*

Friday morning came sooner than I expected. As I laid in bed it felt like those three days had passed in the blink of an eye, and now that it was finally here I couldn't help but smile. Four years ago today Harry and I officially became a couple, and I remember it like it was yesterday. Harry, Niall, and I had been at a restaurant and I suddenly became painfully aware of the fact that much prettier girls were flirting with Harry nonstop. I decided that I wasn't possibly good enough for him and ended up leaving, but he chased after me. He told me that I WAS good enough and he loved me just the way I was.

Then he kissed me....and it was by far one of the best kisses I'd ever had (though there had been few before that). Even today that one kiss remains the most memorable. We shared the passionate kiss in the rain, something that both of us had always wanted and it was absolutely perfect.

Harry was also my first kiss. It may sound weird because I dated Eric for about two months before I met him, but it was different with Eric. He didn't really care for me at all...I could tell just by the way he acted around me. He wanted only one thing...something that I'm glad I lost to Harry and not an asshole like him.

Harry is the complete opposite of Eric. He's kind, gentle, funny, and knows exactly how to make you feel better when you're feeling sad or sick. He makes a habit of taking the time to let you know how much he loves you every day, whether it be in person or over the phone. He's the type of guy to send you flowers for no occasion other than to make you smile. Everything about him is just perfect.

I smiled to myself and got up out of bed to find where Harry went off to. He wasn't in bed when I woke up so I figured that he was out on the beach somewhere or was watching tv in the living room. As I walked out of the bedroom I was greeted by the familiar faces of Gabby, Jenna, Dani, Eleanor, and Perrie. They all squealed happily and pulled me into a group hug, making me laugh.

"Oh my gosh! What are you guys doing here?!" I asked.  
"We're here to steal you away for the day on orders by Mr. Styles himself." Gabby said with a smile.  
"Yeah. We flew out here last night." Perrie added.  
"I can't believe this....I missed you guys! Come here!!"

I pulled them into another group hug and we all laughed.

"Well. Go on and get ready! We're going out!" Danielle said, pushing me back into the bedroom.

I changed into jean shorts, a light blue tank top, and flip flops. After that I pulled my hair up into a messy ponytail and grabbed one of Harry's sweaters to wear in case it got cold.

Once I was finished we all went down to the dock where Jimmy was waiting in the boat. As we walked up I saw Anthony on the boat talking to him. The two of them seemed to really hit it off, just like I hoped they would.

"Tony!" I yelled, catching his attention as I stepped onto the dock.  
"Em! Come here, girl"

He pulled me into a hug and kissed my cheeks.  
"You look beautiful. How has your vacation with your dreamy boyfriend been?"  
"Its been pretty amazing"  
"I bet you had epic vacation sex. Did he 'Rock' you, Emily? Did you show him you care?" He joked.

My cheeks turned red and I smacked him.  
"Tony!! That's none of your business!"  
"Oh, you so did!" He exclaimed.  
"So, um. Where are we going?" I asked Perrie, completely changing the subject.  
"Well, first we are going to the spa to get massages" she answered.  
"That sound so amazing right now"  
"I bet it does after those long nights" Anthony said with a laugh.  
"Tony, I will throw you off this boat!" I warned.

He gasped and his hands immediately went to his hair.  
"No! You'll ruin my hair!" He cried.  
"Then stop with the sex jokes"  
"Fine"

He stuck his tongue out at me so I flipped him off making the girls and Jimmy laugh. A few minutes later we arrived at the docks and we all got off and headed to the spa (I had invited Jimmy to come with us so he could talk with Tony some more). We were separated for the massages then came back together for facials and whatnot.

The whole time spent there was the most relaxing thing ever. We chatted about everything from clothes to the latest member of Danielle and Liam's family, their puppy, Loki. When I saw the picture I couldn't help but let out a loud "awwwee!" He was the most adorable little husky puppy I had ever seen. It made me want a puppy of my own, and I made a mental note to talk to Harry about it when we got back home.

"So have you written any new songs?" Perrie asked me.  
"Yeah actually. I still have to work things out on my piano, but I have the melody already in my head" I answered."I'll probably get to work on it after I shoot my music video for 'Gold' the day after I get back. Speaking of which, I want you guys to be in it."   
"Really? That would be awesome!" Eleanor said excitedly.  
"From what the director sent me it seems like we're going to be on location with a big mansion surrounded by a garden. The pictures were beautiful. I'll have to show you girls later"

~.:o:.~

The rest of the day was spent shopping or tanning at the beach, typical girl stuff. We had an absolute blast though, and Tony seemed to really hit it off with Jimmy. The two of them were laughing and smiling at each other. It was so cute that I had to take a picture and as I was doing that the girls suddenly freaked out.

"Oh my gosh! We have to get you ready!" Gabby said, pulling me to my feet.  
"Ready for what?" I asked with a confused expression.

They all grinned at me.  
"You'll find out soon enough" Jenna said with a grin.  
"This is going to be so awesome!" Gabby said excitedly as they dragged me back to their hotel.  
"What the hell is going on here!?"

They ignored me and I took a deep sigh before deciding it was pointless to fight them. After being dragged through the hotel and to the room the girls -and guys- sat me down in the kitchen and did my hair all wavy with the left side tied back so they could stick a flower in. After that they gave me a little makeup before shoving me into the bedroom to change into a dress they picked out. I put it on and looked at myself in the mirror. It was a halter top dress that went down to just below my knees. The girls had paired it with black sandals that fit together perfectly with it.

"You ready?" Jenna asked as she peeked her head in.  
"Yep. You going to tell me what we're doing now?"  
"Almost. Just come with us"

She pulled me out into the living room where everyone else was waiting and they all smiled at me.  
"Emily, you look gorgeous! Let me take a picture of you" Perrie said as she pulled out her phone.

I did a little pose and she snapped the photo then laughed when it came out.   
"Its perfect. Now, we have to go. It's going to be sunset soon and you need time to get to the secret spot"  
"You guys are confusing me, but okay"

Once again I found myself being dragged around the island. We made our way to the other side where there was a second beach that overlooked the almost setting sun. I looked out on the beach and saw all of the boys -except Harry- standing there with smiles on their faces. I ran up and hugged them, unable to help myself.

"Boys! I missed you! What are you guys doing here?" I asked.  
"We're part of the plan, of course. One that is starting right now. Niall, the envelope please" Louis said, holding his hand out to the younger boy.

I watched as Niall pulled a small white envelope out of his pocket and gave it to Louis, who then gave it to me. I gave them a confused look, then glanced down at the paper. It had my name written across it in Harry's handwriting. I smiled and opened it.

'Emily,

You're probably confused right now, but you'll have to hang in there for a bit longer. I left a trail of notes along the beach for you. On each one I have written my favorite things about you and the best moments I've ever had with you. At the end of the trail is a surprise.

Have fun on my little scavenger hunt of love xx

-Harry'

The smile on my face grew wider as I read it over again. I looked up at everyone and they pointed to the left down the beach where I could see a neon colored note sticking out of the sand.

"Well, get going" Liam said, giving me a small push in the direction of the note.

I stepped towards it and glanced back at their smiling faces before setting off to grab the note. I opened it and read it.

#1: I love that you are so in touch with your inner child. I'd watch Spongebob with you any day.

I laughed and walked off to find the next one.

#2: I still remember the first day I saw you across the room in that club. You looked pretty sexy in that Batwoman costume ;)

#3: I love that I can talk to you about anything, no matter how embarrassing it may be.

#4: Our first kiss. Man, that was amazing. In that moment I was hooked by you and couldn't wait to meet you again.

#5: Your jokes, though they are pretty cheesy -haha. Cheesy. Get it?- they never fail to make me laugh.

I laughed at that one. He was obviously making a reference to my horrible pizza joke that made us both giggle no matter how ridiculous it was.

#6: You made my dream for a passionate kiss in the rain come true. Thank you for that.

#7: Your eyes. They remind me of a clear blue sky in summer. I could just stare into them all day and never get bored.

#8: The first time I heard you sing. It was like I was listening to an angel. Then you started playing your guitar and your devilish side came out. A perfect combination. 20% angel, 80% devil. Only you will get that reference :)

Of course I got it. It was from one of my all time favorite movies, Fast and Furious. I only made him watch all five like twenty times.

#9: Your laugh. I know you think its weird and embarrassing, but its seriously the cutest thing ever. Never be ashamed of it.

I kept walking and picking up letters for twenty minutes. My stack was getting bigger and bigger. I couldn't believe that he actually took the time to write out every single one of these notes. The whole thing was incredibly adorable and romantic and made me start to tear up. I finally came to the last note and opened it up.

#50: Today will soon become another moment to add to the list. Keep walking in this direction until you come to the gazebo located at the end of the dock.

I followed his instructions and soon found the gazebo. It was a beautiful sight. The sunset was in the background of the gazebo that was lit with strings of lights that were wrapped around it. Inside was a tv set with a dvd player hooked up to it. I noticed a quiet electric generator behind it and turned it on, then looked at the note that was taped to the tv screen.

'Play the DVD'

I did so and smiled widely when Harry's face came on the screen.

"Hey, Em. It's almost time to reveal the big surprise, but before that there are a few people who want to talk to you"

The video switched to Perrie, Eleanor, and Danielle standing side by side and smiling at the camera.

"Emily, you and Harry are like peanut butter and jelly. You're just meant to be." Eleanor said.  
"Not to mention the fact that you two are so adorable together" Danielle added.  
"He's without a doubt the one you belong with" Perrie finished.

It switched again to Gabby and Jenna.

"Man, I remember when you first told me about meeting him. Your eyes just lit up and you blushed like crazy when I asked how good a kisser he was" Gabby said with a laugh.  
"Every time you talk about him the same thing happens. Watching you two is like watching a real life fairy tale. Its just perfect." Jenna added.

The video went on to show all of my friends talking about my relationship with Harry and how perfect we were for each other. Matt came on and said something along the lines of 'he's the only one I trust to take care of my baby sister, but that doesn't mean I won't kick his ass if he hurts you'.

Then something happened that I didn't expect. The videos switched and I found myself staring back at my father. Tears welled up in my eyes and I small sob escaped my throat at the sight of him. It got worse when I heard his voice.

"Hi, baby girl. I know you told me not to hurt your boyfriend, but there were a few times when I really wanted to kill him. Regardless of what I thought you still went back to him and made me realize that he could do more than make up for his mistakes. He truly loves you with all his heart and I couldn't be more happy to give you away to him. When he first asked me if he could marry you he was so nervous, I thought he was going to faint..."

Everything quickly fell into place when I heard that. The secret phone calls, the 'work' days, the spa day, the notes. My emotions went haywire and I found myself crying even harder than before.

"But in the end he relaxed and was very determined to get me to say yes. I was actually quite impressed that he asked me in the first place. Anyways, I just wanted to say that I will always love you no matter what. I wish you a happy life with him."

The screen switched to words that read "turn around". I did and gasped when I saw Harry standing there in black suit pants, a long sleeved black dress shirt, and black shoes. My eyes glanced over him and I couldn't help but think of how incredibly sexy he looked. I snapped myself out of it and focused on him as he began to speak.

"Hey" he said with a nervous smile.  
"Hi" I said with a small laugh.  
“I had this whole big speech written out and I practiced it a million times, but now that I'm here, looking at you, I don't remember anything. After almost eight months of planning you'd think I would be prepared for this, but apparently not."

He let out a nervous laugh and I looked down to see his hands shaking. I smiled warmly and took them in mine, giving them a small squeeze of reassurance. He smiled at me and took a deep breath.

"Emily, after spending those few hours with you in Starbucks I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. As our time together went on that feeling got stronger and stronger. We've been through hell and back so many times I've lost count, but I afterwards I feel like we can make it through anything."

"You're my best friend who I can talk to about anything and never get judged for it. You're my amazing girlfriend who I have the great pleasure of kissing whenever I want and spoiling all the time. You're the stop to my go. The right to my left. The jelly to my peanut butter."

I giggled at the last one and he smiled.

"Four years ago today, I asked the most amazing, beautiful, and caring person to be my girlfriend. So it’s only fit that today be the day that I ask you to be my wife."

He gave me a cheeky grin and winked, then pulled a small box out of his pocket. He knelt down on one knee and opened the box revealing the most beautiful ring I'd ever seen. My tears started up again and I choked back a sob.

"Emily Jo Brighten...Will you make me the happiest man in the universe and marry me?"

I nodded my head, not trusting myself to speak in my state. He grinned and placed the ring on my left hand before standing up and pulling me into a passionate kiss. My arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him closer, my lips moving hungrily against his.

When we both ran out of air we reluctantly separated our lips, but didn't let go of each other. We held each other in a tight embrace, pure happiness radiating out of both of us.

"I love you" Harry said into my hair.  
"I love you, too" I answered.

I pulled back to smile at him.  
"Please tell me you taped it"  
"Of course I did. I want to remember this day forever. I want to show it to our kids so they can see how awesome their dad is" he said with a grin.

I lightly hit his chest and he laughed, then reached up to wipe the tears from my cheeks.

"How long ago did you make that?" I asked.  
"About three months before the VMAs. I was going to do it a month after, but things happened so I figured I would wait."  
"Thank you for not taking his part out"  
"I didn't even think about it. Anyways, we should get back. Everyone is waiting for us."

He took my hand and led me back down the dock and up the beach to where another little party area was set up. Almost everyone Harry and I knew stood there waiting. Paul, Sara, my uncle Nick, my dad's army buddies who were practically family, Harry’s family and friends, and also Matt. 

We spent the next few hours celebrating and chatting amongst everyone. I found myself in a conversation between Anne, Gemma, and the other girls, but as they spoke I couldn’t help but look over at Harry. He looked so happy as he talked with the boys and his other friends. When he caught my gaze a wide smile appeared on my face which he immediately mirrored. He tilted his head towards the beach and I nodded in agreement. We both excused ourselves from our conversations, then met at the entrance of the small path that led down to the beach.

We stopped so we could take off our shoes then started towards the water. Harry stopped and rolled up his pant legs before following me in. His arms wrapped around my waist, lifting me up so he could spin me around. I let out a squeal which quickly turned into a laugh. He set me down after a few turns and smiled down at me. His left hand took my right and held it aloft while his other guided my free hand onto his shoulder. He placed his right hand on my waist then started to sway us back and forth, humming a random made up tune.

"So, future Mrs. Styles, are you ready for the craziness that is waiting for us when we get back home?" He asked me.

I smiled.  
"As long as you're with me I can get through anything."

He smiled back and pressed his lips to mine in a soft kiss that sent tingles down my spine. In that moment I truly did feel like I could make it through anything with him. We held each other together through the hardest times and never let the other carry any extra weight on their shoulders. In that moment I knew that I was more than ready for this...

To spend the rest of my life with Harry Edward Styles...

To call him my husband and I his wife...

Emily Jo Styles...That has a nice ring to it.


	14. CH 14

News of the engagement got around before the plane even landed at Heathrow. Harry and I walked hand in hand out to the waiting taxi, only to be met by a mob of paparazzi trying to get a picture of the ring. Harry pulled me close as we pushed through, ignoring their questions. I got in the car and slid over while he put the bags in the trunk with the help of the driver. A moment later he slid in next to me and shut the door, letting out a relieved sigh.

“Wow. That was crazy” He said with a chuckle.  
“Yeah, it was” I agree.

Harry intertwined our fingers again, his right hand holding my left. He smiled down at the ring and brought my hand to his lips to kiss the back.

“I love you so much” he said softly.  
“I love you, too”

I reached up with my other hand to touch his cheek and brought his lips softly to mine. I felt him smile into my lips, his hand moving onto my hip to pull me closer to him. The driver got in and let out a sigh.

“This always happens to me” He mutters.

We pulled away and laughed.  
“Sorry. 206 Primrose Hill, please” Harry said to him.

The driver nodded and the car rolled away from the airport, being careful of the paps that were swarming around it. Within a few minutes we were finally back home. I couldn’t help but smile as we stepped into the familiar space. Everything was just the way we left it as if it was just waiting for us to come home.

“Man, it feels good to be home” Harry said as he walked in and placed his bags against the wall.  
“Yeah, it is” I agree with a smile.

Not even a moment later I felt myself being lifted into the air. I let out a squeak of surprise as Harry held me up bridal style and carried me to the couch. He set me down then moved to hover over me, his strong arms holding himself up so not all of his weight was on me. I smiled up at him.

“Well hello there” I say wiggling my eyebrows.

He let out an adorable laugh.  
“Hi” he replied with that dimpled smile of his.

My smile grew wider and I reached up, hooking my finger on the chain of his paper airplane necklace, then gently pulled it towards me making him move closer to me. Our lips touched and immediately fell into sync, my hands moving up into his hair, tugging on it gently.

“I can’t wait to marry you” he whispered into my lips before starting to kiss down my neck. I bit my lip and closed my eyes, focusing on the tingling feeling his touch gave me...that is until I heard him start singing.  
“I’m so excited! And I just can’t hide it!” he sang in a high pitched voice.

I burst out laughing and he chuckled into my neck.  
“You’re such a dork” I told him, making him lift his head up and look at me with furrowed eyebrows.  
“Hey, I am not a whale penis” He said.

I erupted into uncontrollable laughter and he grinned down at me, laughing a little himself.  
“Breathe, babe. Breathe!” he said with a chuckle.

I start to calm down a moment later and take a few deep breaths.  
“Okay....I’m good” I said finally. “Ow, now my stomach hurts”  
“Let me fix that for you” he said with a smile.

He moved down and lifted my shirt slightly then placed butterfly kisses all over my belly. I giggled and pulled him back up to kiss me again. He pulled back after a moment then laid down next to me. I snuggled into his arms, resting my head on his chest so I could hear his steady heartbeat. I turned my head slightly and placed a soft kiss on his exposed collarbone above his shirt collar, making him shiver slightly.

“I love you so much” I muttered against his skin.  
“I love you more” He replied with a smile.

“The corners of my lips curled up into a soft smile and I closed my eyes, letting myself drift off to sleep in his arms.

~.:o:.~

The next day I got up to meet the girls so I could take them to the set of my new music video. It felt good to be back to work doing what I loved. The vacation was amazing, don’t get me wrong, but I definitely missed the fun of making music videos. Especially ones that are going to be as fun as this one.

I had worked with Matthew, the director, before on my other music videos and he did a great job of actually listening to my ideas and helping me get them into the video in the right way. He was just an overall fun guy to work with as well and I knew this day would be even more fun because my friends and even some lucky fans were going to be a part of it.

The set was at an old castle surrounded by a beautiful garden with a fountain in the middle of the court yard. It was already decorated for the video with effects and props put in to make it look like it actually belonged in a music video for a song such as this one.

All together the video took three days, but during that time I got to have fun with the other girls and the fans. Harry even stopped by a few times and took pictures with some of the fans who wanted one. I had a feeling that it was going to end up being one of my best videos that the fans would love and I was super proud of it.

“Emily, are we going wedding dress shopping soon?” Eleanor asked me.  
“Yeah, a couple months yet and we’ll go” I agreed.  
“Are you excited? I mean, you’re getting married” Gabby said with an excited squeal.  
“I’m very excited....and kinda nervous. I mean, with all that’s happened I just don’t want something to go bad on my wedding day, you know?”  
“Emily, nothing bad has happened for months. I doubt that anything else will happen” Danielle assured me.

I nodded and started walking towards the cars since we were done shooting the video.  
“I sure hope so”

*Three Months Later*

“What do you think of this one?” I asked the girls as I held up what seemed like the hundredth wedding dress.

We had been shopping around all day and I still couldn’t find the perfect dress. All of them seemed to be too extravagant or too plain. I had asked Gabby, Sara, my cousin Jen, the other 1D girlfriends, and of course Harry’s mum and sister to join me on our little outing. They were all super helpful, but I just couldn’t seem to decide on which one I wanted. That is until I saw it. The absolute perfect dress. I grabbed it and went to try it on, loving it immediately. I walked out and heard a few gasps.

“Oh, Emily. You look beautiful” Anne said, smiling at me.  
“This is the one” I said, smiling back.  
“I love it. It’s sexy, yet elegant. It’s perfect” Danielle agreed.  
“Yeah. Harry will definitely love it” Gabby said, wiggling her eyebrows.

I laughed and rolled my eyes at her.  
“You are so perverted” I said.  
“Yeah, but you love me anyways” she replied with a grin.

I smiled and shook my head then went back into the changing room to take it off. After that I put it back in the bag then carried it to the counter to pay for it. I arranged for Harry’s mum to take it until it was time for the wedding so Harry wouldn’t see it before then. I knew that the minute I got home he would ask me about it and want to see it. When I got back to the house Harry and the boys were all sitting in the living room watching the latest football game. He turned and smiled at me as I walked in.

“How was your shopping day, love?” he asked, turning his head around so he could kiss my lips.  
“It was fun. How about your boys day?” I said with a smile.  
“It’s been great. Did you find a dress?”

I smile and nod.  
“Can I see it?” he asked.  
“No. Harry, it’s bad luck to see the bride in her dress before the wedding day” I said as I stood behind him and the couch, my arms wrapped around his neck.  
“Aw, please?” He asked with a pout as he tilted his head back to look at me.

I giggled and kissed his forehead.  
“Nope” I said before walking off to the kitchen to get something to drink.

I grabbed a glass and started filling it with tap water when I felt two strong arms wrap around my waist. I knew right away that it was Harry since I could smell his cologne so I just leaned back against him.

“Are you sure you don’t want to show me?” He asked in a low, husky voice as he pressed his lips to the base of my neck. I bit my lip and turned around to face him.

“I’m not showing you the dress, Harry” I told him.  
“Come oooon, Em. I want to see how beautiful you look in it” he whined, pouting.  
“You’ll have to wait until our wedding day” I said as I poked his nose.  
“But that’s a whole month and a half away”  
“Then you’ll just have to deal with it” I said with a smile before ducking out of his grasp with my water.

I walked back into the living room and took his spot on the couch next to Niall. He followed me in and frowned when he saw that I was sitting in the place he previously sat. Not even a moment later his frown was replaced with a grin as he strutted over and sat down on my lap. I let out a groan.

“Harryyy. Get off you fatty” I said with a laugh.  
“Hey! I am not fat!” He said as he lifted up his shirt to show me his toned abs. “This is all muscle, babe”

I smiled and poked his belly making him laugh adorably. I laughed with him and wrapped my arms around his waist. He smiled widely and made himself comfortable in my lap for a moment before turning back to look at me.

“I’m not hurting you am I?” he asked quietly, worried that he weighed too much for me to handle.  
“Nope. You’re good” I told him as I kissed his cheek.  
“I’m getting up anyway” He said, standing up.

I smiled as he pulled me to my feet before sitting down in his spot. He grabbed my waist and pulled me back down onto his lap. I brought my legs up over his and wrapped my arms around his torso before laying my head on his shoulder. He smiled and kissed my forehead, not even caring that his team had just made the winning point. The boys got up and cheered, but he remained holding me close, a soft smile on his face.

“Harry! You missed it!” Liam said.  
“Huh? Oh...Oh well” he said with a shrug.

I laughed at the boys reactions. They shook their heads at him, but decided to leave him alone knowing that they would probably do the same thing with their girlfriends. Now that the game was over they got up and said goodbye to us before heading back home, leaving Harry and I alone in the living room. My focus was on the tv until I felt his lips on my neck. I bit my lip and closed my eyes as he started to leave soft butterfly kisses over my jaw and down to my shoulder.

“Can I please see the dress?” he asked quietly against my skin.

I smirked and stood up, leaving him pouting on the couch.

“No, Harry. You’re not seeing it until June 15th when I walk down the aisle in it” I said as I made my way to the bedroom to change into something more comfortable to sleep in. I heard him groan from the living room and I laughed. “You’ll survive” I called back to him.  
“I don’t think I will” He said as he got up to follow me into the bedroom. “That’s so far away”  
“It’s only three weeks away, Harry. I think you’ll be just fine” I said, tapping my finger on his nose as I walked by him to go into the closet.

I didn’t get very far before he grabbed my hand and spun me around to face him. He grinned and pressed his lips to mine, slipping his tongue into my mouth before I had the chance to deny him entrance. I kissed him back, moving my arms up around his neck as our tongues brushed against each other. After a few moments he pulled back and smiled at me.

“I can’t wait to marry you” He whispered.  
“I can’t wait to marry you either....but you’re still not going to see the dress” I said with a smirk.  
“Oh come on!


	15. CH 15

“No, absolutely not” I told Gabby for the sixth time.  
“Come on, Em. It’s your last weekend as a non-married woman, just live a little”  
“Gabby, you are not hiring strippers for my bachelorette party”  
“Why not? It’ll be fun. Plus, I’m pretty sure Louis is getting some for Harry” she added.  
“That’s Harry though. I’m sorry, but I’d rather not watch anyone stripping their clothes off and shoving their junk in my face”  
“Except for Harry”

She grinned and wiggled her eyebrows at me. I rolled my eyes and turned back to my food. We were sitting at a restaurant talking about the wedding and she was helping me out with last minute preparations for the big day. It was now only two days until I walked down the aisle. Two days until I would finally be married to the man I loved more than anything in the world.

With it being so close, I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. My mind was racing, wondering if I got everything or if the decorations would turn out right. How the weather would be during the ceremony. I had never realized how stressful planning my own wedding could be until now and I regretted not hiring a wedding planner to help.

Gabby helps a lot too, but she’s just...well, Gabby. We tend to get distracted from things when we’re together. Take our high school History project for instance, we had two weeks to get it done yet every time we tried to work on it we got distracted after twenty minutes. We barely anything got done and ended up throwing everything together last minute, but still managed to get a good grade on it, which is still a mystery to me but I’ll take it. 

A few minutes later we got our food and started eating. I didn’t waste any time clearing my plate, making Gabby look at me oddly.

“What? I was hungry” I told her.  
“I’ve never seen you eat so fast in my life” She said, still giving me the weird look.

I shrug and the waitress comes back to ask us if we want dessert and I order a chocolate cake slice, eating that too; all before Gabby finished half of her first plate of food.

“Are you gonna eat that?” I asked, pointing to the rest of her fries.

She shakes her head slowly and I take one off her plate and eat it. Her eyes suddenly widen, making it my turn to give her the weird look.

“Oh my god” she said.  
“What?” I asked, confused.  
“Are you...Are you pregnant?”  
“No, of course not, I’m just hungry” I lied.

The moment the words left her mouth I immediately started thinking back to the last time I had my period, which was almost three months ago. I had been acting pretty moody lately and even snapped at Harry a few times. That would also explain why I had been feeling ill every morning for the past few weeks.

Holy shit...

~.:o:.~

Positive.

All five tests.

I couldn’t believe it. I was actually pregnant.

I stared at the tests for what seemed like hours until a knock at the door startled me.

“Emily? You alright?” Harry’s worried voice called through the door.  
“I-I um yeah. I’m fine. Just touching up my makeup” I lied quickly as I scrambled to hide the tests. I shoved them into my makeup bag, which I knew he’d never look in. I put the bag back on the sink then opened the door to smile at him.

“Everything alright, love?” he asked.  
“Yep. Great” I smiled and kissed his lips.  
“Okay...Dinner’s ready”

I nod and take his hand as we walk back downstairs to the dining room. I couldn’t help but get lost in my thoughts as we sat down and ate, wondering if I should tell him or not. I eventually decided that I would wait until I went to the doctor and knew for sure if I really was pregnant. We had been talking about having kids after getting married anyways and Harry was really excited about it, so I didn’t want to get his hopes up if I wasn’t.

“Em....babe, snap out of it” Harry said as he waved his hand in front of my face. I blinked and looked up at him, not realizing that he had gotten out of his chair and walked over to stand beside me.  
“Huh? Oh, sorry” I said quietly.  
“What’s going on with you? You’ve been acting really weird lately. Are...Are you having second thoughts?” he asked cautiously.  
“What? No, of course not! How could you even think that?”  
“Well what else am I supposed to think?! You’re so distant lately and bitchy and-”  
“Bitchy?” I cut him off, standing to my feet. “You think I’m a bitch now is that it?”  
“I didn’t say that! I said you were acting like it”  
“It’s the same damn thing, Harry! Maybe we should call off the wedding. We obviously have some shit to work out yet”  
“Em, don’t say that. We’re fine...Baby..” He sighed when he saw the tears in my eyes. “Please don’t cry, love”

He tried to wipe them away, but I moved away from him.  
“I’m going to bed” I said before walking off to the bedroom. I laid down on the bed and started to cry. My emotions were all over the place, leaving me confused and a little scared since there was the possibility that I was carrying a little person inside of me. I had heard so many horror stories about it that the thought made me sick.

An hour passed by until I heard the door slowly open and close followed by soft footsteps.  
“Emily? Are you awake?” Harry asked softly.

I turned my head more towards the pillow so I could hide my face from him. I didn’t want him to see me like this because I knew he would be worried. He sighed and sat on the bed behind me.

“Emily, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean what I said. I just...I wish you would talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong so I can help you.” He said softly. “Baby, please look at me”

I turned around to look at him, unable to resist the pleading tone in his voice. His face turned to worry when he saw my puffy red eyes and tear stained cheeks. His hand automatically went to my cheek, wiping away the tears gently with his thumb. Without a word he laid down next to me and pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly to him. I buried my face into his chest, immediately finding comfort in his embrace.

“I’m sorry for snapping at you...I’m just really tired today and I’m stressed from the wedding planning and everything” I said quietly.  
“It’s alright. Just promise me that from now on you’ll tell me what’s wrong?” he asked.

I gave him a smile and nodded.  
“I promise”

He smiled a bit then placed a lingering kiss upon my forehead. I closed my eyes and was immediately comforted by the gesture. Within moments all of my worries had faded away and I soon drifted off to sleep in his arms.

~.:o:.~

“Hurry up, Emily, or we’ll be late!” Gabby yelled up the stairs. “You’ll see him in two days!”  
“Just wait a minute!” I yelled back.

We were both dressed and ready for our bachelor/bachelorette parties, but we didn’t want to leave each other yet. I laid in bed with him, my arms wrapped around his torso. His arms were locked around my waist as he continued to kiss me all over my face and neck.

“I don’t want to leave” He mumbled as he placed a soft kiss on my jaw. “I can’t be away from you for two whole days”  
“I don’t like it either, but we can manage” I told him as I ran my fingers through his hair.  
“You better not be flirting up with any guys tonight” he teased, smiling into my skin.

His teeth bit down gently on my soft spot, causing a soft moan to escape my lips.  
“I won’t” I whispered. “As long as you don’t flirt with any girls”  
“Why would I flirt with girls when I have an incredibly amazing and sexy woman waiting for me at home”

His hands slid up my dress, but I stopped them. He lifted his head and pouted down at me.  
“We’ll save that for the honeymoon” I said with a smirk.

I kissed him one last time then pushed him off me before quickly getting up so he couldn’t pull me back.  
“I forgot to mention my woman is a bloody tease” he said as I walked out the door.  
“Love you, too” I called before heading down the stairs to meet Gabby and the other girls.

“Took you long enough” She said.  
“Sorry. Let’s get going shall we?”  
“Hell yeah! It’s party time!”

I laughed and we all got in the limo we rented that would take us to the club. I had a feeling that this was going to be one long night.

“Let’s take some shots before we get there” Danielle said as she pours the alcohol into glasses. The smell made me a bit nauseous, but I took it anyways.  
“To the future Mrs. Styles” Perrie said as she held hers up.

We all held our glasses up and clinked them together before taking a drink. I poured the liquid into my mouth, but then spit it back out when the girls weren’t looking. I couldn’t drink alcohol anymore, not when I thought I was pregnant. It could hurt the baby, if there really was a baby...Either way, I wasn’t taking any chances. I sneakily rolled down the window then dumped the alcohol out.

The club was already full of people when we got there. Thankfully, Gabby took my warning and didn’t hire any male strippers to come, so it was just us girls dancing and having a good time. Throughout the night I pretended to sip on my drink when I really just kept dumping it into my glass again. Everyone was too wasted to notice so it was alright.

After a while the smell of alcohol began to make me sick and I couldn’t stand it anymore. I told the girls I was going to the bathroom and quickly made my way to the back of the club where it was located. I nearly ran into a girl that was coming out, quickly muttering an apology before rushing into a stall, making it just in time before I emptied the contents of my stomach into it.

When I was finished I knew I had to get out of here. I exited the bathroom then sent the girls a quick text saying that I was going back home because I didn’t feel well. Once it was sent I started to make my way through the crowd towards the front of the building where the entrance was. As I squeezed through the people dancing I accidentally ran into one of them.

“I’m so-” I froze when I saw who it was.

It was the man with the baseball cap. The one who was at the restaurant when I got that frantic phone call from Harry. The one who I saw just hours before the bomb exploded at the VMAs that killed my father.

“Emily, don’t run” He said, reaching out for me.

I did the exact opposite of what he said. I spun on my heel and bolted, frantically pushing through the sea of people as I ran for the exit. He followed quickly behind me, but it only made me run faster. Thank god I didn’t wear heels tonight.

My hands finally came in contact with the door and I threw it open before starting to run down the street. I glanced back to see that he wasn’t following me anymore, but turned back only to run straight into his grip. My eyes widened and I screamed, but it was quickly muffled by his hand slapping over my mouth. A black van pulled up and he dragged me over to it, all while I was kicking and screaming into his hand. The door slid open and I immediately stopped struggling, in complete shock when I recognized the man inside.

“Sorry about this, Emily” He said before he placed a damp cloth over my mouth and nose after the ball cap man removed his hand. As I inhaled the drug my vision started to get blurry before everything went black.

~.:o:.~

*Harry’s POV*

“Louis! I told you no strippers!” I laughed as the two girls in front of me started to strip out of their barely there outfits.  
“I didn’t get them. Nick did” he said, pointing to my grinning older friend.

I laughed again and shook my head. This was ridiculous. As pretty as these girls were, they didn’t even come close to Emily. The way her brown hair brought out the bright blue of her eyes made her even more beautiful than before. I started to think about what she was doing right now. Did she have two guys dancing for her right now? I sure hope not. The thought made me a bit jealous. I should be the only man she sees with that little clothing.

My thoughts were interrupted when Liam came rushing up to me with a panicked look on his face. That could only mean one thing...  
“Harry! The girls can’t find Emily! She’s gone!” he said.

The moment the words left his mouth my heart stopped, eyes widening in panic. No. This can’t be happening. Not just a few days before our wedding.

I jumped to my feet, pushing past everyone as I ran for the door. He was lying. He had to be. This was just some sick prank he and the boys put together.

I finally made it to the door and pulled out my phone to dial her number, but got no answer. I called again and again, leaving frantic voicemails begging her to call me back. My heart started to beat rapidly and it felt like it was hard to breathe as the panicked feeling got worse. 

What if they had her? Would they just kill her right away or would they mess with her and do it slowly? Or what if they did things to her?

The thought made me sick to my stomach, and the alcohol I had previously drunk didn’t help either. I was snapped out of it when I saw the girls pull up in the limo and get out, rushing over to me.

“What the hell happened?!” I asked them.  
“We don’t know. She said she was going to the bathroom and when we went to check on her she wasn’t there. Then El checked her phone and saw that she texted us saying she was going home because she didn’t feel well, but she isn’t there either” Gabby explained.  
“Why weren’t you watching her! You knew that someone was after her!” I yelled.

I knew I shouldn’t have been screaming at her like that, but I couldn’t help it. I was scared...no...terrified of where Emily could be right now

“Harry, calm down. There was nothing they could do and screaming at them won’t help you find her” Liam said as he and the boys came over to us.

I took a deep breath and nodded.  
“Sorry” I said to Gabby.  
"It's fine. Let's just focus on finding her" She replied.  
"Alright. Gabby, you and Jenna go wait at the house to see if she turns up there. Harry and I will go to the club and see if we can find anything that'll help us. The rest of you go around to her favorite spots to see if she's there." Louis instructed.

Everyone nodded then split up to search. Most of us were pretty drunk, but were starting to sober up due to the urgency of the situation. It was basically life or death for her if she really was taken by the one who has been after her. Louis and I got a cab and went to the club to see if there were any clues as to where she could be. I really hoped there would be something we can use to help us.

"Don't worry, Harry. We'll find her" Louis said, trying to reassure me.  
"I hope so"

~.:o:.~

No calls.

No texts.

Nothing.

The only thing we had was a drunk guy telling us that he had seen Emily being put in a black van, but he was too wasted to get a license plate or remember the faces. We had no leads whatsoever as to where she was.

It had been ten hours now since Emily went missing. Ten hours of nonstop searching with no sleep at all. I sat on my couch staring blankly at the wall while the others explained what happened to the police. My eyes were red with dark circles under them from lack of sleep. My head was pounding from the alcohol, but I could barely feel it.

I was completely numb to everything. People tried to talk to me, but I wouldn't answer. I'd just look at them with my blank expression until they eventually gave up all together. I couldn't eat or do anything. I just sat there feeling helpless.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be. We were supposed to go out and have a fun time then spend today recovering before standing at the alter together to exchange our vows. To seal our love in marriage and go on living happily. Maybe even have a few children. Now it all seemed impossible, because every time our lives started to get back to normal something else would go and ruin it.

My thoughts were broken when the house phone rang. I sat forwards in my seat and snatched it off the coffee table. I was about to answer it when a detective stopped me.

"Wait a second. It could be the kidnappers" He said.  
"Or it could be Emily. Let me answer it!" I argued.

I didn't have time for this. The possibility of her being on the other end and them making me wait was crazy. I needed to talk to her. I needed to hear her voice. Before anyone could stop me I pressed 'talk' and held it to my ear.

"Hello?"

There was a long pause before that familiar voice from back at the radio station spoke.  
"Hello. I bet you're wondering where your precious Emily is aren't you."  
"Where is she?!" I demanded.  
"She is right here in front of me. Say hello, Emily"

I heard the sound of tape being ripped off her face before she spoke.  
"Harry!" She cried, fear clearly shown in her voice.

I felt a wave of emotion watch over me. She was alive.  
"Emily, baby. It's going to be alright, I promise. You're gonna be okay" I said, my voice cracking as I heard her crying. She was terrified.  
"She's done talking now" The voice said.

The detective grabbed a notepad and wrote down that they were having someone trace the call and that I should keep him talking for as long as possible. I nodded and tried my best to do so.

"What do you want? Do you want money? I'll pay anything, just...just don't hurt her" I pleaded.  
"I can't promise you that. You see, Emily here took everything from me so now I'm just returning the favor."

I stood up and started pacing the room, getting a bit angry.  
"You touch her and I swear to god I will find you and I will fucking kill you" I said through clenched teeth.  
"You shouldn't be talking like that to someone who is holding a gun to your precious fiance's head" He said in an equally angry tone.

My eyes widened and I stopped for a moment. No. Please no.  
"I-I'm sorry, just don't...don't hurt her. Please. She means everything to me."  
"So? She took everything from me! Now it's my turn to take it from her!" he growled.

I heard the gun click.  
"NO!" I yelled.

A gunshot went off and I froze. The phone fell from my hand and landed on the floor with a loud thud, but I didn't hear it. My breath picked up and my chest tightened as I got that all too familiar feeling of grief and loss. It was getting harder and harder to breathe by the second. I stumbled through the room, pushing through the hands of my friends as they tried to calm me down and comfort me.

I threw the patio door open then stepped out onto the grass before I finally let it out.

*No One's POV*

Harry let out a scream that was full of pain and grief before falling to his knees. The onlookers could only watch as he wrapped his arms around himself and fell over onto the grass, heart wrenching sobs ripping through is throat.

They wanted to comfort him. To tell him everything would be alright, but nothing they said would help. 

This wasn't like last time.

There was no one there to carry her out to safety or protect her from what happened. She didn't get out this time...or have anyone there to take the bullet for her. They could only watch as he called out the name of a girl who would no longer answer.


	16. CH 16

*No One POV*

Louis was the first one to move. He slowly made his way over to his younger friend who was still lying on the grass, shaking from the sobs that escaped his lips. Louis knelt next to him with teary eyes and cautiously placed a hand on Harry’s arm.

“It’s okay, Harry” He said. “Maybe she-”  
“No! It’s not okay! It will never be okay!” Harry yelled, cutting him off before breaking down again.

Louis swallowed the lump in his throat. He hated seeing his friend so...broken. He wanted to tell him that everything would be alright and that he would get through this; but kept his mouth shut, knowing that there was nothing that he could say to help his friend.

He looked back up at the others inside the house. Each one of the boys were in tears themselves, heartbroken by the sight of their friend and from the tragic loss of one of their close friends. Liam held Gabby in his arms as she sobbed into his chest, Niall doing the same for Jenna. Zayn had a cigarette held between his index and middle fingers, inhaling the smoke as tears fell from his eyes. Even the police looked sympathetic towards Harry and it made the situation even more real.

No one saw this coming. They were all too happy and giddy about the wedding that they forgot about the threats that have been made on Emily’s life. The attempts to kill her that caused other people to get hurt, and killed. Every one of them knew that they should have been more careful and paid more attention, but it was too late now.

She was gone.

~.:o:.~

The funeral was held two days later. News got out of Emily’s death and now the whole world was grieving. Fans of Emily and Harry were sending their condolences on Twitter, and even people who didn’t like them or their music couldn’t help but feel a tug at their heart.

Harry stared blankly at the marker that rested beside the one that belonged to Emily’s father. He could still hear her frightened voice call his name before the loud gunshot. His family had flown out to support him, but there was nothing they could do to help him. He was numb to everything. It was as if the life had been sucked out of him, leaving him as an empty shell that showed no emotion whatsoever.

Anne looked at her son with teary eyes. She saw that he was hurting. That he blamed himself for not protecting her. He wasn’t the same, nor will he ever be. He would no longer be the goofy, kind, and happy boy that she raised. All she saw was a heartbroken man who tragically lost the love of his life, his everything.

~.:o:.~

*Harry’s POV*

I walked into the cold empty house, pausing at the hallway to look into the kitchen. Memories of Emily and I playfully throwing food at each other and laughing while we made dinner flashed through my mind. My gaze turned to the living room where we had snuggled up on the couch and watched movies or old Friends re-runs. Everywhere I looked there was a memory of her that made my heart break even more than it already was.

I made my way upstairs to the bathroom and splashed some cold water on my face from the sink in attempt to make them go away. I fought them back and gripped the edge of the sink until my knuckles turned white. I just wanted to forget.

I closed my eyes and took a moment to compose myself before reaching out for a towel, knocking something off the sink. I finally grabbed the towel and brought it to my face to wipe the water off before looking down to see what had fallen. It was Emily’s makeup bag. The contents had scattered across the floor due to it not being closed and I let out a sigh. I knelt down to start picking them up again when I saw them. The pregnancy tests. I picked them up and my eyes widened when I saw a pink plus sign on all five of them.

The tests fell from my hands and I fell back against the wall as tears started to form in my eyes. A new wave of emotion washed over me. It explained everything. Her mood swings, the morning sickness, her increased appetite. I was so stupid not to have noticed before, and now that I did I felt even worse.

I didn’t just lose Emily....

I also lost our unborn child.

 

~Two Years Later~

*Harry’s POV*

The rain poured down upon me as I walked through the rows of gravestones of the Holmes Chapel Cemetery. As I made the familiar trek up to lot 354, I couldn’t help but wonder how life could be so cruel. How it could bring someone so wonderful into my life, only to take her away when I needed her most. We were just about to get married...to start a family together.

Now she’s gone...and I was left here alone to live every second of every day with her on my mind, wondering why it had to be her...the most wonderful, beautiful, caring person in the world.

I know that I have to stay strong for the boys, my family, and the fans...but sometimes I just want to be free. To be free of the spotlight, of the people trying to tell me that everything was okay, and the pain that I was living with.

I had considered suicide more times than I could count. I would sit on the couch, staring at a picture of Emily and drink my sorrows away, wondering why I even bothered trying anymore. Life was pointless without her. Why not just end it so I could be with her again? I would have the pills in my hand, ready to swallow them down, but each time something would stop me. I didn’t understand it, but I felt like Emily needed me to stay living so I did.

I just wish I could hold her in my arms. To spontaneously kiss her and tell her I love her. To make her laugh so much that every little thing I said afterwards sent her into another fit of laughter, no matter how simple it was. To wake up every morning to her beautiful face as she stared back at me.

As I stood before the black marble stone, I realized how impossible that was. Never again would I be able to do those things with her...or anyone else for that matter. I would never find another woman like her, and because of that I didn’t even bother to try. I gave her my heart long ago, and she took it with her when she left.

I replaced the dead flowers with new ones, then sat down in front of the stone like I had done many times before, not caring that I was sitting on the wet ground. I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them.

“I knew from the start that you were going to be trouble. “ I said with a small smile. “When you walked into that club all those years ago I just knew. I had this gut feeling that the moment I sat down next to you that my life would change forever.”

“And it did. In that moment everything got thrown upside down...but after awhile I realized that my life was already messed up. That the pieces of me were all jumbled up and hidden in places that I never knew existed. Then I met you...and you found the pieces and put me back together. Only then did I realize that there was still one piece left. The biggest piece that held everything together and completed me....”

“....It was you, Em. You were that missing piece. You kept me together when all I wanted to do was break. But now the piece is gone and I don’t know what to do anymore. I’ve tried to move on and put on a brave face for everyone, but I don’t know how much longer I can keep it up. I just miss you so damn much and it’s killing me.”

My eyes filled with tears and I felt a lump forming in my throat. I didn’t hold anything back. All of the emotions that I had bottled up since my last visit came out at once and I started to feel the slightest bit better. Even in death, Emily was still my therapy. The only thing that could relieve some of my pain and grief. 

I thought back to two weeks after the funeral when the detective who had been working the case had come knocking on my door. I was confused at first, wondering what he would need to come back for until he told me that they knew who had killed her....

*Flashback*

“Mr. Styles may we come in?” The detective asked me.  
“Yeah, of course” I said, stepping aside to let him through.

We walked into the living room and he sat on the couch while I sat across from him in chair. I sat back in the chair, wondering what he could possibly want.

“Mr. Styles...I have been going over the Brighten case since the fire in Los Angeles and I have come across some new evidence that has led me to discover who was behind this.” He started.

I sat up on the edge of my seat immediately.  
“What was it?” I asked.

“Do you know this woman?” he asked, showing me a picture.  
“Yeah, this is Emily’s mother. Did she have something to do with it?” I asked, feeling angry and shocked.  
“Do you know these three people as well?” he asked, ignoring my question.

He once again showed me three pictures, all of which were of people who I recognized immediately. They were pictures of Emily’s old manager, Max; along with Bella, Emily’s step sister; and Eric, her ex-boyfriend. Bella was the one who had nearly cost me my relationship with Emily, with help from Eric, both of which I despised on a nuclear level. Max had also kicked Emily out of the label after she lost her voice from the fire and gave her songs to Bella’s new band, which also included Eric.

“Yes. I do. What do they have to do with anything?” I asked.  
“Did you know that Mrs. Brighten is in fact, Mrs. Caldwell, married Max Caldwell of Starlit Records? And that Bella Caldwell is his daughter, who had been institutionalized during four years of her life?”  
“What? No...No, I didn’t know that. I...” 

I was surprised by the new information. So Emily’s mother was married to Max, who was also Bella’s father...But if that was the case then why would they kick her out of the label if she was family? Then again, both Bella and Emily’s mother were crazy bitches.

“So you’re saying that the four of them teamed up to try and kill Emily? Why would they do that?” I asked.  
“Not the four of them. Just three. Eric Andersen was forced into helping the other three. He came to my office two days ago and confessed everything. He said that Bella and Mrs. Caldwell had it out for Emily ever since they found out that she was gaining more success than Bella, and in order to surpass her, they decided to just get rid of her. So, they went to Los Angeles and rigged the electric box of the venue to catch fire, burning down the building.”  
“So it wasn’t an accident...” 

I thought back to Emily’s nightmares. She always told me that she felt like something wasn’t right about the fire. She knew it wasn’t an accident, and she saw something that night....she just couldn’t remember what.

“No. Andersen also said that when he first found out about their plans to kill Emily he contacted her father, Jack Brighten, and has been an informant for him up until Brighten’s death.”  
“Wait. So Jack knew about it. He knew who was behind it, yet he didn’t tell anyone. Why?”  
“He didn’t have the proof he needed for it to stick in court, but now Andersen has brought forth the proof that he and Mr. Brighten had uncovered. We have plenty to convict them and charge them with three counts of murder, along with many other charges. They’re being arrested as we speak”

I nodded slowly. So this was it. The real people behind it, right in front of our noses the whole time. They would finally be put away for what they did, but I didn’t feel like it was enough. If I had my way they would be put through much worse, and even that wouldn’t cover what they deserved. 

“How long will it be until they go on trial?” I asked.  
“I’m not sure. It could be months or even a year before they do. This is a very complex case that will take multiple days to go over, but I promise you they will be imprisoned.”  
“Thank you, for everything you’ve done” I said, reaching out to shake his hand.  
“I’m just doing my job.” He replied with a smile. “I’ll be in touch and let you know when the first hearing will be”

*End Flashback*

The very public trial ended about a month ago. It took longer than expected because of some issues with their lawyers, but they ended up doing 25 years to life without parole. The media was all over it and it had annoyed the hell out of me that they waited to bombard me with questions every time I entered or exited the building, but I managed to ignore them and carry on. The people responsible for taking everything from me finally got what they deserved and it gave me a little bit of closure, but not much.

I stayed for a while longer before finally deciding to leave. I stood up and said my goodbyes, then turned around to leave, only to be startled by Sean, Emily’s uncle. I jumped at his sudden appearance, wondering how long he had been standing there.

“Sean, you scared me” I said, holding my hand over my heart.  
“Sorry. I stopped by the house, but you were gone so I figured you’d be here. I have to show you something, but you’ll have to trust me” he said.

I stared at him for a long while, wondering what he meant by that. What did he need to show me? It’s not like we have talked much since Emily’s death besides a small greeting at the funeral.

“It’s about Emily” he added when he saw the confusion in my face.  
“What about Emily?” I asked, now more curious than ever.  
“I can’t tell you...I have to show you, but we’ll need to go out of the country in order for me to do it”  
“Go where?” I asked.  
“Again, I can’t tell you. You’ll just have to trust me” he said.

It didn’t take me but a split second to decide. Whatever this thing he needed to show me was, it involved Emily and I needed to know what it was.

“Alright, let’s go”


	17. CH 17

*Harry’s POV*

I walked off the private plane onto a small airstrip located in Brazil. It was warm, but not too hot. Sean was met by someone who I immediately recognized as Emily’s older brother, Matt. Seeing him made me sick to my stomach. He didn’t even come to Emily’s funeral. He just took off and didn’t tell anyone where he went. I didn’t really blame him though. I barely convinced myself to go.

“So, Matt. Are you guys going to tell me why we’re here?” I asked them.  
“All in good time. You remember Sean right?” Matt asked me.  
“Yeah, of course”  
“How have you been?” Sean asked me.  
“I’m....better, I guess”  
“I’m glad to hear that. Sorry I couldn’t make it to the funeral. I had important business to take care of. I know that sounds horrible of me to miss my little sister’s funeral for business, but you’ll understand when we get to the house” he said.  
“The house?” I asked.

The two of them just smiled at each other and started walking, completely ignoring my question. They were obviously hiding something from me, but I decided to just leave it alone and trust them.

The car ride was long. The road we took went through a few cities before finally coming out into the countryside. I looked out the window, seeing the ocean in the distance. We turned off on a gravel road leading towards the coastline. The car came to a stop a few minutes later, then we all stepped out of it.

They led me up to a small house that stood at the edge of the beach where the pavement met the sand. I couldn’t help but smile at the memory that came to mind.

*Flashback*

“Hey, Harry?” Emily asked, making me turn my attention away from the array of colors that reflected on the ocean. We had been sitting on the beach for hours just talking and watching the sun set in the distance.

“Yes, love?”  
“When we get tired of the spotlight and just want to settle down, I want to live on the beach.”  
“Why is that?” I asked curiously.  
“It’s so peaceful out here...Quiet. No paparazzi trying to get pictures of us or fans screaming.”  
“Yeah...A beach house it is then.”

She looked up at me with that beautiful smile of hers spread across her face. After seeing that I just couldn’t help myself. I leaned forwards and kissed her soft lips, both of us smiling into it. I could get used to this. Just sitting on the beach with the love of my life, away from all the cameras and fans. It’s just...perfect.

*End Flashback*

“You alright, Harry?” Matt asked me.  
“Huh? Oh yeah...its just...Emily always wanted a beach house.”

He nodded, a smile forming on his lips. We stepped up onto the wooden porch and he knocked the door. I was surprised to see Sara, Emily’s old tour manager before stepping inside, Sean going in behind him. I went to follow them, but stopped when I saw movement further down the beach. There were three figures down by the water. One of them was a man wearing khaki shorts and a bright blue button up shirt, his head bare. There was something familiar about him. He almost looked like...no. That was impossible.

I shook the thought from my head and looked at the other two. There was a little girl who looked to be almost two and wore a pink sundress, her curly brown hair falling just under her chin.

The woman wore a dress similar to the girl’s except it was all white. Her wavy brown hair fell perfectly over her bare shoulders, making her look almost angelic.

There was something about her that drew me in, causing my feet to carry me towards her on their own. As I got closer I began to pick up on the little details that felt so familiar. The way she stood with her weight on one side. How she ran her hand down the middle of her hair to push it out of her face.

Then I saw it.

The faint outline of a tattoo on her right hand.

My heart started pounding so hard in my chest that I thought it was going to burst out. My feet moved faster and faster, carrying me closer to the three people. The man turned and I stopped in my tracks.

No...That’s....That’s impossible.

It was Jack.

He smiled at me and turned to the woman, tapping on her shoulder. When he got her attention he said something that made her turn around to look at me.

The moment I saw her face I broke into a run, nearly tripping on the soft sand as I sprinted towards her. It seemed like an eternity before I was finally able to pull her into my arms. I clung to her for dear life, letting tears stream freely down my face as I sobbed into her shoulder. I didn’t care if this was just a dream I was having. If it was a dream, then I sure as hell didn’t want to wake up from it.

A few moments passed before I finally pulled back to look at her face. She looked slightly older but still as, if not more, beautiful than before. My trembling hands reached up to touch her tear stained cheeks, looking into her bright blue eyes that were staring back into mine. Emily’s eyes...

“I-I...I heard the gunshot...I-I don’t” I stammered, in complete shock. I looked up at Jack, confused as all hell. “And you...I-I saw you die. I was at the hospital when they pulled the plug.”

“It was all fake. I'm so sorry, Harry. I didn’t want to hurt you, but we had to do this in order to protect you and everyone else until there was enough evidence to convict my mom and the others.”

She began explaining the story to me, and suddenly everything made sense.

 

*Flashback* ~Emily’s POV~

I woke up to find myself in an unfamiliar room, lying on an old beat up couch. I slowly sat up and brought my hand up to my head as if it would ease the dizziness that was in my head.

“The dizziness will go away momentarily” I hear a familiar voice say. My head snapped up and my eyes went wide in shock.

“Dad?” I asked, still unable to believe it. He looked almost exactly the same except for the fact that he grew out a beard and mustache. This can’t be real. Maybe I passed out at the bar and this was just some weird dream I was having. I watched as he slowly got up and walked over to me, stopping when he stood just a foot away. His hand touched my cheek, proving to me that he was real. He was alive.

I jumped to my feet and threw my arms around him, tears streaming down my face as I hugged him tightly. His arms wrapped around me, holding me close to him. He kissed my head

“H-How….I don’t…I don’t understand. Y-you died. I was there!”  
“No, it was made to look like I died. I really did get hit with the bomb shrapnel, but I survived. When your uncle Sean got there we put our plan to work. We had been expecting an attack like that, so we came up with the idea of faking my death. That way I would be able to keep a better eye on you and get closer to finding proof that they were behind everything” he explained.

I was even more confused now.

“What do you mean? Who was behind what?” I asked.  
“The ones behind the fire, and the multiple threats on your life” he answered.  
“Y-you know who it is? How did you figure it out? Who are they?”  
“The day you took off to go see Harry after you got dropped from Starlit Records, Eric stopped by to talk to me. He said that he was being forced into this plan that your mother, Bella, and Mike were all a part of. One to get rid of you since their plan to destroy your career failed.”  
“Mum was behind this? And Mike? I don’t understand, why would he be in on it?”  
“Your mother was married to Mike and he is just as crazy as she is, and also Bella”  
“That I can see” I mutter. “So why did you kidnap me from the club?”  
“Because it was the only place that we could get you alone. We had to do this…Eric told us that their next target wasn’t going to be you…It was Harry”

The breath caught in my throat and my eyes widened slightly. No, nothing could happen to Harry. He had his family, the boys, the fans. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to him because of me.

“So, now what? You brought me here just to tell me that?” I asked.  
“No, I brought you here because we have a way to protect him…The only option you have” He said softly.  
“What option is that?”

~.:o:.~

“No, I can’t do this. This will crush him, Dad. I can’t do that to him” I said as they got ready to dial the number.  
“Do you want to protect him or not? This is only temporary until we find enough evidence to convict your mother and the others. He’ll be fine” he argued with me 

I bite my lip and look at him for a moment. I knew he was right, but I didn’t want him to be. I didn’t want to picture Harry’s broken face when we did this. If he did this to me then I wouldn’t know what to do. I wouldn’t be able to go on without him. I’d just be some empty shell, being constantly reminded that the person I loved wasn’t coming back. 

But no matter how hard it would be, I knew I had to do it. I had to protect him. I wouldn’t let him suffer because of me. It would be hard for the both of us. I would have to completely cut off contact with him, but it had to be done. 

“Alright. I’m ready”

~END FLASHBACK~

“I had to do it to protect you, Harry.” Emily said once she finished explaining. “I’m so sor-”

I cut her off, pressing my lips to hers with as much passion as I could muster. My lips moved hungrily against hers, not wanting to separate when our need for air became too great. Her lips left mine for a quick breath before I brought her back in. My arms snaked around her waist, pulling her body as close to as humanly possible to my own. I felt like I could breathe again for the first time in two years. Like I was whole again. I pulled back, leaving butterfly kisses all over her face before I wrapped my arms around her in a tight hug.

“I love you so much” I whispered into her neck.  
“I love you, too” She said softly.

I closed my eyes and just held her there until I felt a slight tug on my pant leg. I pulled back, my eyes wandering down to the source, finding it to be the little girl. She looked up at me with bright blue eyes, identical to Emily’s.

My eyes widened when I remembered finding the pregnancy test in the bathroom. I looked up at Emily who was smiling softly at me. The little girl turned to Emily and tugged on her dress before reaching her arms up to her. I watched in shock as Emily lifted the girl into her arms before turning to me once again. With the two of them together side by side I could clearly see the resemblance.

“Harry, this is Skylar” she said slowly, her eyes staring into mine for my reaction, but I kept my eyes on the girl in her arms. Emily gave her the name that we picked together when we talked about what we would call our kids if we had any. She had my dimples and curly brown hair, but Emily’s lips and bright blue eyes that reminded me of a clear sky in the middle of summer. She was beautiful.

“When?” I managed to choke out, my emotions once again getting the better of me.  
“I found out a few days before I left. I didn’t tell you right away because I wanted to wait until after the wedding to surprise you, but then all of that stuff happened and I had to leave. She was born on June 5th. I’ve been showing her pictures and videos of you so she knows who you are” she explained.

I let out a small laugh of happiness, my hand moving up to cover my mouth. I almost couldn’t believe it. Right here in front of me was my little girl...The child I always wanted to have with Emily, but never thought I would. Tears started to stream down my face when I saw her smile. She had dimples on both cheeks with two bottom teeth coming in. She stared at me for a long moment before reaching her arms out to me. I immediately pulled her into my arms, holding her small body as tight as I could without hurting her. When I pulled away she put her hands on my cheeks and looked into my teary eyes.

“Dada”

My heart melted inside my chest. I looked up at Emily who was smiling at me with so much love in her watery eyes and I don’t think I could have been any happier in that moment. I turned back to Skylar and kissed her head.

“Yeah, baby girl. I’m your daddy” I choked out, pulling Emily into my embrace as well and close my eyes as I held my daughter and the girl I fell madly in love with in my arms. I was finally whole again... Despite all the hell I went through in the past couple years, I was happy. And from that moment on, nothing could break it.


	18. CH 18

*Harry POV*

I spent a month in Brazil with Emily and Skylar to spend some quality time with them before we went back home and faced the media, which would be all over us trying to figure out what happened. Emily’s “death” was a huge thing and went on for months, but now that she was alive they would surely fight to get every detail.

However, the whole time I was there I didn’t care about any of that. I was just happy to have my Emily back, and now Skylar is in the picture and everything is just perfect. As I watched her play I thought back to the first few days I was here. It took her a few hours to warm up to me more and now she was always next to me, which I didn’t mind at all. I always had that fear that this was just some crazy dream and they weren’t really here, or that I had gone crazy and was in some mental hospital imagining everything. Either way, I didn’t want it to end.

Skylar was so much like Emily. She had the same laugh and personality, though I noticed that my personality was starting to show through now as well. I remembered watching Emily trying to get her into her pajamas after her bath and then laughing when Skylar ran away naked, laughing as she went. I had doubled over from laughing so hard and Emily wasn’t too happy with me for not helping her catch our little naked run away, but I just found it so amusing that she had inherited that from me. I smiled at the thought and Skylar looked up at me with her dimpled smile, another thing she got from me. She held up her stuffed bear to me.

“Dada” She said, making my heart warm. My smile widened and I took the bear then lifted her up onto my lap, holding her close as she snuggled up into my chest. I kissed her head then sighed contently.

“I love you, princess” I whispered to her. The two of us had become extremely close in just a short amount of time and it was amazing. I hadn’t expected her to warm up to me right away, but she did. Emily did a great job of helping her understand that I was her father and that I would be seeing her eventually. I will forever be thankful to her for that. She could have just found someone else and told Skylar that he was the father, but she didn’t. She waited for me, just like I did for her. Sure I had tried dating other girls, but I didn’t get past the first date with any of them. I couldn’t do that to them or Emily. She’s the only girl I will ever love and I’m happy to have her back in my life. I smiled to myself and looked down, noticing that Skylar had fallen asleep in my arms. I lay down on the couch carefully, keeping her on my chest as I got comfortable, then closed my eyes as well.

~.:o:.~

The sound of the door opening woke me up and I turned to see Emily coming in from sitting outside. I smiled at her, still a bit sleepy from just waking up from my nap with Skylar.

“Hey, babe” I say quietly so I didn’t wake the sleeping child in my arms.   
“Hey. Did you have a nice nap?” Emily asked as she leaned down and pecked my lips.  
“Yeah it was great”

I carefully move Skylar off my chest and onto the couch before getting up. I tuck some pillows under her side so she didn’t roll off the couch before turning to Emily and wrapping my arms around her, pulling her close to me. She giggled quietly as I buried my face into her neck, tickling her skin with my hair. I smiled at the sound and kissed her skin lightly before pulling back to rest my forehead against hers, looking down into her blue eyes.

“I love you so much” I whispered.  
“I love you, too” She whispered back before pulling my lips down to hers. I immediately returned the kiss, not getting enough of the feeling. After a moment I was disappointed when she pulled away and pouted at her.

“Later. Right now we need to pack” She said before leading me to the bedroom.  
“Babe, we can pack later” I said once we got to the room.

I wrapped my arms around her waist from behind and placed soft kisses on her neck. I felt her relax in my arms and tilt her head to the side, causing me to smile against her skin because I knew I had her right where I wanted her. Within a few seconds I heard a soft gasp escape her lips as I found her sweet spot. I sucked gently on the skin while my hands slid up her sides and under her shirt so I could touch her bare skin.

“Harry” She breathed. “We really have to pack. I don’t want to be up late doing it”

I groan softly and buried my face into her neck.

“Fine” I mumbled, holding her for a moment longer before I reluctantly let go and we started to pack up our things. A few hours later we finally finished and by that time Skylar was awake again. She was walking around making noises and shoving toys in her mouth, which for some reason was an adorable sight despite all of the slobber.

“Are you excited to go back home?” I asked Emily after I turned my attention away from our daughter.  
“I don’t know...I mean, yeah I’m excited to see everyone again and be back home, but at the same time I’m going to miss the peace and quiet here” She said as she looked outside at the water.  
“Yeah. It’s great here...Maybe we could just keep this place and use it as a vacation spot” I suggest.  
“We should” She said with a smile.  
“Alright then. I guess we will” I smile and kiss her cheek then pull her close as we watched Skylar together.

~.:o:.~

We landed in London the next day and managed to get through the airport unseen, because no one knew when I would be coming back or where I had been the past month. Jack and Matt helped us take our things back to the house, then showed us Skylar’s room, which they had been working on for the past week. It was like a little princess room, all pink and girly with plenty of stuffed animals around and toys. Skylar squealed when she saw it then walked over to fall on top of a giant stuffed bear as she hugged it. We laughed at her and I kept smiling widely, glad to have my girls home.

“Thanks for everything” I told Jack and Matt.  
“No problem” Jack smiled. “We’ll be around if you need us” 

I nod and give both of them hugs. They had been so helpful to us, and they brought me to Emily so I was thankful to both of them for all they’ve done. Emily gave them hugs as well before they left, leaving us alone in the house.

I helped Emily unpack her things and get settled into the house again. It felt like the first time we moved in together all over again, which was strange at first but brought back good memories.

Once we had a few hours to rest I called everyone over to the house for the big surprise. They were going to find out about Emily and Skylar now and I was excited to see their reactions. I told Emily to wait in the kitchen as people showed up, then I led them all into the living room.

“Harry, would you tell us what’s been going on now?” Louis asked me.  
“Yeah, where have you been the past month?” Liam added.  
“Well, its a very long story, but the short version is that I’ve been in Brazil...with Emily”

They all looked at me like I was absolutely insane.

“Mate, I know you miss her, but she’s gone” Zayn said.  
“I beg to differ” Emily said as she walked out, causing everyone to gasp in shock.  
“Emily?! Wait...what?! You’re alive!!” Gabby exclaimed as she jumped up and ran to her friend, hugging her tightly.

Emily laughed and hugged her back before going to everyone else and giving them hugs as well. While they did that I went to grab Skylar who was sitting on the floor of the kitchen playing with her toy. I carry her back into the living room and everyone looks at her, then at me, and to Emily, before turning back to her again.

“Guys, this is Skylar. Our daughter” I said, pulling Emily close to me.  
“Woah. Hold the fuck up” Gabby said, looking utterly confused. “Would someone explain to me what is going on right now?”

We sat down and explained everything to them starting from when Emily faked her death and ending when I found out that they were alive.

“I’ve been with them the whole month in Brazil at a private beach house” I finish.

They all sat there in silence, letting the information sink in.

“This is crazy...but I’m damn glad you’re back. Harry’s been miserable without you and it’s good to see the old Harry is back” Liam tells Emily.

She smiles softly and turns to me, taking my hand and intertwining our fingers. I smile at her then kiss her gently before turning back to everyone. We talked for a few hours and they got to know Skylar who was being goofy as ever, absolutely loving the attention she was getting. I looked down at Emily who had her head resting on my shoulder, a soft smile on her face as she caught up with Gabby on what’s been going on.

“You know...We still have to get married” I said to her once she was done talking.

She looked up at me and smiled.  
“We do. Pick a date and we’ll do it” She said to me..  
“June 1st” I said without thinking, just picking a random date which was just a month away.  
“June 1st it is” She smiled and gave me a kiss.

June 1st….The day I could finally call her mine.


	19. CH 19 (THE END)

*Still Harry’s POV*

“Hurry up, Harry! You’re going to be late!” Louis yelled at me.  
“I’m coming!” I called back as I rushed down the stairs dressed in my tux. “I need help with the tie”  
“Liam will do it on the way. We have to go right now”

He grabbed my arm and rushed me out to the waiting car that was going to drive us to the church. My nerves were building up the closer we got to it and my mind was replaying so any scenarios in my head about what could go wrong that I felt like my head was going to explode. Liam worked on my tie while making sure that the collar of my white shirt was securely covering the rest of the tie that was around my neck. He noticed my twitching hands and smiled, placing one of his on them to make them stop.

“Everything is going to be okay, Harry. You have nothing to worry about anymore” He said reassuringly.  
“I can’t help it, Liam. I’m so nervous. What if-” I was cut off by him.  
“Harry, if Emily didn’t love you then she would have never said yes to the proposal or faked her death in order to protect you, even if it meant that she may never see you again. That girl loves you more than anything in the world. She’ll be walking down that aisle in just an hour’s time and nothing is going to stop that from happening”

I nodded and smiled at him.  
“Thanks”

A few minutes later we pulled up to the church where all of our families and friends were already waiting. I immediately went over to my mum, needing to seek comfort in her embrace. The second she saw me she pulled me into a hug and I immediately felt better. Robin smiled at us when we pulled away then pat me on the shoulder.

“You nervous?” He asked.  
“I think that’s an understatement” I answered.  
“Don’t worry, Harry. It’ll be fine” He assured me.

I nodded and took a deep breath. All of the boys were standing around talking to people, their girlfriends/wives by their side. It made me miss Emily and the feeling of her soft hand against mine. Being away from her for a whole day was absolute torture and I couldn’t wait to be wit her again.

“Daddy!” A little voice called.

I spun around to see Lou walking Skylar over to me. She looked absolutely adorable in her little white dress and flowers in her hair. I smiled and knelt down so she could run into my arms.

“Hi, baby. You look so beautiful” I told her before kissing her cheek.  
“She refused to do anything until she saw you” Lou said with a smile.  
“Awe, Sky” I cooed.

She gave me a hug and I wrapped my arms around her. I absolutely loved that she was such a daddy’s girl now even though Emily was the one who raised her for the first two years of her life. I love her more than life itself, just like I love her mum.

“Hey, Sky. Can you go back to mummy now? She can’t come out here without you” I asked her.

She nodded and kissed my cheek before reaching out to Lou. I let her take the girl out of my arms and carry her back to where Emily was waiting. When I turned back to my family I found everyone smiling at me as I had interacted with my daughter. I couldn’t help but blush a bit, but it was immediately replaced with nerves once Louis told me it was time.

We all took our places, me standing up at the altar while the boys began to twalk down the aisle with the bridesmaids, starting with my best man, Louis, and Gabby, the maid of honor. I reminded myself to thank him later for being there for me and helping me out today. Without him I would have gone crazy.

As soon as each of them walked and were lined up the bride’s music began to play. All eyes turned to the oak doors that opened, revealing Skylar as she walked down the aisle, throwing little flower petals out of her basket. I smiled at how adorable she looked as she grinned from ear to ear while she walked to me. I bent down to give her a quick hug and a kiss before handing her off to my mum.

That’s when I finally saw her.

She was absolutely beautiful. Her hair was curled and her hair was put up with a few strands hanging down to frame her face in an elegant way. Her dress was stunning and hugged her every curve perfectly. When she got closer I noticed that the entire back of the dress was cut out, showing off her tanned skin. It made her look sexy and beautiful at the same time. A combination that made me want to carry her off right that second.

She finally made it to the altar and took my outstretched hand so I could help her walk up the steps. Once she was standing beside me we both turned and smiled at each other.

“You ready?” She asked me.  
“I’ve been ready since the day I met you”

Her smile widened and we looked up at the minister, signaling him to begin the ceremony.

“We are gathered here today…”

Everything else just faded out as I kept my eyes on her. This moment that I have been waiting so long for was finally here and I hadn’t even imagined that it would be this amazing. Here I am, standing next to the girl I fell so hard for all those years ago, finally about to marry her and call her mine. 

When it was finally over and the minister said those words, “You may now kiss the bride.” I didn’t even hesitate to pull her to me and kiss her passionately with everything I had. I barely even heard the cheers and claps of our friends and family, just focusing on her and how her soft lips felt against mine. It seemed like hours before we finally separated and looked into each other’s eyes, both of us smiling like crazy.

“I love you” She whispered, her eyes glistening with happy tears.  
“I love you, too” I murmured, kissing her gently before we turned to everyone.

I smiled and held Emily’s hand as we walked back down the aisle to the waiting car that would take us home so Emily could change into her reception dress before we went to the party. We waved to everyone and I promised Skylar that we would meet her and our families at the reception before Emily and I left.

The driver took us away and I pushed the button to raise the non-see-through glass that separated us from the driver. The second it was up I turned to Emily and kissed her, getting an immediate response as she wrapped her arms around my neck. I felt her fingers rake through my hair and shivered. I had always loved it then she played with my hair and it drove me crazy and relaxed me at the same time. My hands moved down to her waist and I pulled her closer as my lips moved down to her neck, softly nipping at her skin. A soft moan escaped her lips and I smirked against her skin before sucking on it lightly, making sure I didn’t leave a noticeable mark.

“My mum is watching Skylar tonight” I murmured into her neck. “It’ll just be you and me”  
“Good…Then you can wait until then” She said before pushing me away, a grin playing across her lips.

I groaned softly.

“Come on, Em. We have time” I whined.  
“Nope. You’ll have to wait” 

She scooted away from me and I playfully glared at her.  
“Fucking tease” I muttered, getting a giggle from her.

~.:o:.~

The reception was amazing. Everyone was up having fun, either dancing or drinking and talking. I even got to take Skylar out and dance with her which was an amazing time. She looked up at me with those beautiful blue eyes and was just smiling the whole time, giggling every time I spun her. I couldn’t be happier than I was in that moment. I had the perfect wife...the perfect daughter...and I was surrounded by all of my friends and family who had helped me so much through all of this.

I couldn’t thank them enough. Without them I probably would have given up a long time ago and never had the chance to find out about Emily or meet Skylar for the first time. I couldn’t ask for better people to spend my life with.

As I laid in bed that night with my arms wrapped around my sleeping wife who was laying on my chest I thought about how much we had been through...how much we survived because of each other. I would be nothing without her and I’m glad I didn’t give up on myself..or life..because there would always be a out of the rough patches that one normally wouldn’t see. You have to fight for what you want and have patience and faith that everything would turn out alright.

But most importantly…

 

When you feel like the world is caving in and there’s no where to run...

 

Hold On For Dear Love

 

THE END


End file.
